San Anselmo Enacts Temporary Rent Freeze

SAN ANSELMO, CA — San Anselmo’s Town Council by a 4-1 margin last week voted in support of a temporary rent freeze amid the pandemic.

The measure passed on June 8 freezes rent increases through the end of 2021 for those impacted by the pandemic.

“I think it fills a hole that needs to be filled in an extraordinary time for a lot of people in our community,” San Anselmo Vice Mayor Alexis Fineman said during the meeting ahead of the council’s vote.

Councilmember Ford Greene cast the lone dissenting vote on the measure, saying it was beyond the town’s purview and would burden staff.

The council on May 11 tasked town staff present an ordinance freezing rents for those impacted by the pandemic.

Mayor Brian Colbert agreed to support a measure he called “imperfect,” noting that he was concerned about the economic impact of the pandemic on renters but also on landlords.

“This is not the best policy I’ve ever seen crafted…but as a temporary measure it seems like a small if certainly imperfect gesture, so I will support this,” Colbert said.