Hundreds of people turned out to comment at the Tacoma City Council’s Dec. 2 meeting as the council develops amendments to a contentious set of voter-approved tenant protections.
Mayor Victoria Woodards described the turnout as “unprecedented,” with close to 100 speakers in-person, about 20 online and 160 written comments. The comments came as the council held a preliminary discussion on potential amendments to the tenant protections, also known as the Landlord Fairness Code Initiative or “Tenant Bill of Rights.” Voters approved the measure in 2023, which set a ban on evictions for certain tenants during the winter months and the school year, a $10 cap on late rental fees and more.
The amendments, which the council has yet to finalize, range from technical changes in the interest of legal clarity to more substantial changes to reduce the amount of time that a cold weather eviction moratorium would be in place…