Tenants rights bill narrowly fails to win Assembly approval

Thursday, June 26, 1997 | 11:49 a.m.

There was no debate as AB303 was rejected on a 20-18 vote - two shy of the 22 needed for approval. But a reconsideration notice was given, meaning a second vote probably on Friday.

The bill by Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, requires landlords to give a reason why a tenant is being evicted and lowers the maximum up-front security deposit from three to two months rent. The owner would have to pay the tenant interest on the deposit when all or part of it is returned.

Goldwater has said laws favoring landlords may have been justified in the past because of high transient rates - but it's now time to change them.

In one case, he said a male landlord threatened to evict a woman unless she had sex with him. In another, Goldwater said a white woman who had a black boyfriend was tossed out of her apartment, and in a third case senior citizens were bounced from their apartment because their rents were too low.

In all of these cases, he said the landlord could do it because no cause had to be stated.