Santa Ana has become Orange County’s first city to adopt rent control and eviction protections, and will require landlords in 2023 to register their units annually in Santa Ana’s new rental registry. According to the Orange County Register, the new registry will serve as a database for the city’s rentals and track rent increases.

Santa Ana city officials plan to create a seven-member Rental Housing Board by July that will oversee the enforcement of the city’s rent control law and offer both tenants and landlords a place to resolve disputes.

Community advocates say the board and registry will strengthen tenants’ rights and protections, but opponents, which include some council members and apartment owners, say Santa Ana has created another expensive bureaucracy. State law caps annual rent increases at 5% and requires landlords to have “just cause” for evictions, and council member Phil Bacerra called the yet-to-be-determined fee for the registry irresponsible.