Ventura Anti-Harassment Ordinance for Tenants Moves Closer to Final Approval

Tenant protections in the City of Ventura took a major step forward this week as the Planning Commission officially signaled its support for a new anti-harassment law. In a unanimous 5 to 0 vote on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, commissioners approved an ordinance designed to curb aggressive landlord behavior and provide renters with a legal path to seek damages. The measure is now headed to the City Council for a final vote, bringing Ventura in line with similar protections recently enacted in Los Angeles and Oxnard.

Defining and Prohibiting Landlord Harassment

The proposed ordinance creates a clear legal definition for tenant harassment, describing it as intentional conduct by a property owner designed to intimidate, annoy, or injure a person without a lawful purpose. Specifically, the law targets "self-help" evictions and tactics used to pressure tenants into moving out. Under the new rules, landlords are prohibited from reducing housing services like parking, failing to perform necessary repairs, or abusing their right to enter a unit. It also bans the use of offensive language or threats of physical harm and protects tenants from retaliation for organizing tenant unions.

A critical component of the ordinance is the inclusion of significant financial penalties. If a landlord is found to have violated the law, a tenant can sue for actual economic damages as well as non-economic damages for emotional distress. The ordinance establishes a civil penalty ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 dollars per violation. Furthermore, if the victim is a senior citizen or a person with a disability, the court can impose an additional 5,000 dollar penalty. These high stakes are intended to act as a powerful deterrent against bad faith actors in the rental market.

Finding a Middle Ground Between Owners and Renters

The road to this ordinance has been a long one, involving several months of stakeholder meetings and workshops. During the Wednesday hearing, Commissioner Mark Abbe noted that the final version of the bill represents a middle ground between the demands of tenant advocacy groups and the concerns of real estate organizations. While some landlord groups expressed fears that the high penalties could lead to frivolous lawsuits over minor maintenance disputes, the ordinance includes a requirement that tenants provide written or verbal notice of an issue and allow a "reasonable time" for the landlord to fix it before legal action is taken.

With the Planning Commission's recommendation, the ordinance is expected to appear on the City Council’s agenda later this month. If passed, it will become part of a broader suite of tenant resources, as the council previously rejected more controversial proposals for rent control and a mandatory rental registry. For now, local housing advocates are celebrating the vote as a victory for the city’s most vulnerable residents, ensuring that "peace and quiet enjoyment" of a home is a right backed by the force of local law.