At its Oct. 21 meeting, the San Marcos City Council codified the tenant’s right to organize amendment in the San Marcos City Code.
The tenant’s right to organize amendment allows tenants to create groups, hold door-to-door discussions and participate in group activities without fearing retaliation by a landlord or property manager. Landlords or property managers that violate the amendment may be charged with a misdemeanor.
The San Marcos City Council considered public comments from the Austin Apartment Association and the San Marcos Civics Club. The council discussed considerations for trespassing violations by organizers and the potential for residents to remain unaware of their right to organize. Both considerations were excluded from the new amendment and pushed to a later date.
Council member Matthew Mendoza said that the amendment doesn’t contain details on how community organizers can solicit residents to bring awareness of their rights under the new amendment.
“I know that as a city we can kind of walk on… we are not solicitors we are informing them,” Mendoza said. “Is there a way to eventually make these renter’s rights (organizers) not solicitors? I mean to categorize them as necessities, they are not sales reps, they are not trying to get something… they aren’t really soliciting they are there on behalf of an ordinance that’s from the city.”
Council member Alyssa Garza said that the amendment could contain more details on solicitation, but they wouldn’t be relevant unless there’s an existing problem with the tenant organization after the amendment passes.
“I appreciate that my colleagues are trying to imagine even more ways to empower our neighbors with more tools and tactics to advocate for themselves and each other, but… we are assuming that this is a need that they have… they’re following like the tool kits and the tool boxes of years of organizing around this,” Garza said. “Maybe this could be for a future discussion where we can workshop with our neighbors… and how we can help interweave that into revisiting this.”
Council member Amanda Rodriguez said that while she would be open to more amendments, delaying the current amendment on the final reading would be unnecessary.
“If we want to discuss and entertain a secondary motion at a later date on how the city can do better at informing people, meeting them at their door with city resources and city information [I’m] happy to second that,” Rodriguez said. “Like I said, if this is a future item, when we get down to flyering, I’ll personally walk doors with you, but on this I would just ask my colleagues not to entertain it.”
The council voted unanimously to approve the amendment for a tenant’s right to organize. The amendment has been codified in the San Marcos City Code, formally recognizing a tenant’s right to organize and creating penalties for violations of the new article. The San Marcos City Code lists regulations for the city, including fair housing and public accommodations which protect residents from discrimination.
The council also approved a Conceptual Planning Agreement (CPA) with Upward Communities for the Hopkins Redevelopment Project. The CPA is a one year agreement for Upward Communities to create a plan for a new city hall and other developments along East Hopkins Street.
The agreement is part of a public-private partnership between the City of San Marcos and Upward Communities, with a budget of $767,970 for the first phase of the plan.
The agreement includes planning developments that span three potential properties for a new city hall, community amenities, and a potential hotel. The properties currently under consideration are the San Marcos Dog Park, the current San Marcos City Hall campus, and a group of buildings including both the Wells Fargo Bank and the Bank of America Financial Center along East Hopkins Street and North CM Allen Parkway.
The San Marcos City Council meets at 6 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of each month. For more information, visit its website.
