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<br />255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 150, Redwood City, CA 94065 | T 650-364-1722 | www.chambersmc.org <br />ELEVATING BUSINESS. <br />ENGAGING COMMUNITY. <br />EMPOWERING THE FUTURE. <br /> <br />July 7, 2026 <br /> <br />The Honorable Elmer Martínez Saballos, Mayor <br />The Honorable Kaia Eakin, Vice Mayor <br />The Honorable Isabella Chu, Council Member <br />The Honorable Jeff Gee, Council Member <br />The Honorable Diane Howard, Council Member <br />The Honorable Marcella Padilla, Council Member <br />The Honorable Chris Sturken, Council Member <br /> <br />City of Redwood City, California <br />1017 Middlefield Road <br />Redwood City, CA 94063 <br /> <br />RE: Economic Impact Study of Proposed Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction Limits <br />Initiative <br /> <br />Dear Mayor Martínez Saballos, Vice Mayor Eakin and Members of Council: <br /> <br />At your meeting on June 8, 2026, you thoughtfully and methodically examined the implications of <br />implementing the proposed citizen-led initiative on rent control and just cause eviction. Council <br />prudently chose to postpone any action at that meeting and requested a supplemental report to <br />better understand the economic impact of the proposed ordinance. At your meeting today, you will <br />be reviewing the results of that report. <br /> <br />As suspected, there are still many questions that are unanswered and are likely to remain so, and <br />there are others that have answers that are unsatisfactory, undesirable and/or unacceptable. The <br />estimates for implementing the proposed ordinance will place great financial burden to the City, <br />both immediately and long-term. Further, the financial burden that will be levied against businesses, <br />developers and nonprofit housing builders is considerable. If enacted, the broader economic <br />development consequences – both intended and unintended – put critical initiatives and projects at <br />risk. <br /> <br />Today, you are being asked to decide the method for moving the citizen-led ordinance forward. <br />While neither option presented to you is desirable, Chamber San Mateo County suggests that you <br />take action to place the proposed ordinance on the November 2026 ballot, thus allowing the <br />broader community an opportunity to become more informed about the economic impact to the <br />City and for the city. <br /> <br />Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We encourage the City to continue to assess <br />potential impacts and share those with the business and nonprofit communities in a timely manner. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Amy Buckmaster <br />President & CEO <br />Chamber San Mateo County <br />