We're sharing an email from Legal Aid of Marin with an urgent opportunity to support dignified, stable housing for Novato tenants.
Last year, 42 tenants at Romar Court were displaced with only 5 days' notice—forced out due to their corporate landlord's failure to maintain safe living conditions. The Novato community raised $73,100 to support tenants with hotels, food and moving costs—expenses that the landlord should pay. Rather than accept this injustice, displaced and current tenants organized into the Grupo de Inquilinos Afectados de Romar Court, inspiring renters across Novato to publicly share their stories of landlord neglect and demand accountability.
Novato renters are neighbors and community members. They are disproportionately low-income, Latino, people of color, and immigrant residents — and they deserve to feel safe and secure in their homes. Right now, many do not. Families living in substandard conditions routinely avoid requesting repairs or contacting Code Enforcement out of fear that doing so could get them evicted. Currently in Novato, eviction for code enforcement red tags and substantial renovations is legal!
We can change this. By passing a Just Cause Ordinance, we can ensure that repairs and code enforcement lead to temporary displacement, not permanent eviction. A Just Cause Ordinance would help tenants feel safe requesting basic repairs in their home.
WANT TO SUPPORT NOVATO TENANTS? HERE'S HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED!
SIGN THE PARENT VOICES PETITION
Add your name to the petition to show broad community support to strengthen protections for tenants. More than 250 people have already signed on – Join them!
CONTACT YOUR COUNCILMEMBER
Email the City Council at novatocouncil@novato.org
If you are a Novato resident, use this interactive map of Novato to find your City Council district and mention it in your email
SPEAK OUT - Give public comment on Tues. March 24th at 6pm at the Novato City Council Meeting [901 Sherman Avenue]
Attending the meeting and standing in solidarity with Romar Court tenants and other Novato tenants is one of the most powerful things you can do. Use a 2-minute public comment to explain why this is important to YOU.
Can't attend? Submit a written public comment here when the agenda is posted on Friday, March 20th. You must submit your comment before 3pm on the 24th.
Feel free to use the following points in your public comment email.
This ordinance is about fairness, predictability and housing stability – something that everyone deserves, including Novato tenants
Tenants should not risk eviction for requesting repairs, and should have the right to return to their homes after repairs have been made
This ordinance would incentivize landlords to maintain their properties proactively, turning Code Enforcement from a threat into a shared resource for tenants and the City alike.
Tenants who face an eviction that is not their fault should receive strong relocation payments to find new housing
This ordinance should cover tenants across Novato—including smaller properties. No tenant should be exposed to arbitrary eviction!
This would NOT affect responsible landlords or shield tenants from responsibility—landlords could still evict tenants for nonpayment of rent, lease violations, property damage, and more.
Tenants should receive eviction notices in their own language
The City should enact retroactive protections to include the tenants displaced at Romar Court
Thank you for engaging on this important issue for your neighbors in Novato.
