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Politics & Government

City Council Repeals Rent Control, Bans Polystyrene

The Capitola City Council voted to repeal rent control and took a decisive step in the green direction.

The Capitola City Council tackled a long agenda Thursday, which included the twice-postponed vote on the repeal of rent control. Over a dozen community members and mobile park residents came out with signs to protest the vote, despite a settlement in which some residents of Surf and Sand Mobile Home Park agreed not to appear at Thursday's meeting.

A 3-2 vote repealed rent control in Capitola, with councilmembers Michael Termini and Stephanie Harlan voting against the action.

Council chambers nearly cleared following that agenda item, but important decisions were yet to be made, including a final vote to ban the use and sale of polystyrene (styrofoam) in retail locations.

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Below are the five most important moments of Thursday's meeting:

1. The council voted to repeal rent control on the grounds that the fight to sustain it was costing the city too much money.

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Councilman Sam Storey: "This small city of 10,000 has been fighting mobile home rent control for the last ten years and spending millions of dollars, and its true some of the residents did have to pay for that, but the city bore the majority of the expense,”

Councilman Kirby Nicol agreed, while Councilman Michael Termini said that even though he knew it was the right thing to do for the "good health of the city," he just couldn't vote yes. 

2. The council voted unanimously to ban the use and sale of polystyrene in retail locations, a decision that expands a former ban against its use for take out containers in restaurants. This ban is one step further than any city in the United States has gone in the ban against styrofoam.

"This is history in the making," said Laura Kasa, executive director of Save Our Shores said. "We're still finding styrofoam on our beaches and it's because people buy it in town and bring it to the beach and leave it."

3. The council reviewed an ordinance to bans the use of single-use plastic bags in stores like Safeway, and adds a 10¢ fee to paper bags. The ordinance will be revisited for a first and second reading in December, and all councilmembers except Nicol expressed their support of it. 

4. A public hearing was held following a presentation by the Community Development Department regarding the preliminary planning of a senior housing project to be located at 1575 38th Ave., in the current location of Capitola Freight and Salvage. Owner Steve Thomas assured that he was actively looking for a new location for Capitola Freight and Salvage, which has been there for over 40 years. 

Council members gave their input and support for the project but urged the applicant to consider and work with the needs and wishes of the neighbors who would be directly effected by it. The former proposal of a four-story structure was deemed too ominious, and Termini said that the neighbors directly behind the new building could "go into the mushroom growing business" because of the shade it would throw. The revised plan takes the 4 story structure down to 3 stories, but council members are still not sure this will be good enough for neighbors. 

5. City supervisors John Leopold and Ellen Pirie visited the meeting to briefly address the re-districting plans for the county. Leopold is looking forward to a larger area in Capitola, and Storey is delighted to work with him in the "economic engine" of Capitola, meaning the area beyond 41st Ave.

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