On Tuesday night, Costa Mesa made history.
After months of organizing, storytelling, and showing up, tenants secured a major win: the City Council passed an Emergency Just Cause Tenant Protection Ordinance with a 6–1 vote. This ordinance gives renters real protections—blocking landlords from issuing no-fault evictions and putting guardrails around the power to displace working-class families.
At Resilience Orange County, we’ve been organizing alongside tenants in Costa Mesa through Costa Mesa Unidos, CHAMOY, and local coalitions for years. And on November 7, 2023, our community proved what’s possible when we move together.
Why This Matters
Costa Mesa tenants have faced harassment, retaliation, and unjust evictions for too long. While housing costs skyrocket and wages stay flat, more families are pushed into overcrowded apartments, unsafe units, or forced to leave the city altogether.
That’s why we joined tenants, youth, and neighbors in demanding action—not someday, but now. Our people couldn’t wait for Sacramento. And thanks to community power, they didn’t have to.
This local ordinance passed before California’s SB 567—a bill to strengthen tenant protections statewide—goes into effect on January 1, 2024. By acting early, Costa Mesa sent a clear message: tenants deserve protection now, and local governments have the power to act.
What the Ordinance Does
The Emergency Just Cause Ordinance updates Costa Mesa’s municipal code to:
Require landlords to have a legal reason (just cause) to evict tenants
Take effect immediately upon adoption
Apply citywide to residential tenants, with limited exceptions
This is a critical step toward housing justice. And it didn’t happen on its own.
This Was a Community Win
This victory belongs to the tenants who showed up—who testified, knocked doors, and spoke truth to power. It belongs to the families who risked retaliation to tell their stories. It belongs to the youth from CHAMOY who reminded us that housing justice is racial justice. And it belongs to the movement builders at Costa Mesa Unidos, who’ve been organizing from the apartments, to the mobile home parks, to city hall.
At Resilience OC, we were proud to support this effort through:
Know-your-rights outreach
Legal and policy education
Community meetings and listening sessions
The Vote
✅ Ayes (6): Councilmembers Arlis Reynolds, Andrea Marr, Loren Gameros, Manuel Chavez, Jeff Harlan, and Mayor John Stephens
❌ Nay (1): Councilmember Don Harper
This is what tenant power looks like.
This is what happens when we organize.
And this is just the beginning.