“Residents took time out of their evening to come speak, and I believe their voices deserved to be heard through action, not continued postponement!” – Jennifer Mendoza, Lemon Grove City Councilmember, screenshot of May 19 meeting courtesy Lemon Grove City Councilmember Jessyka Heredia’s Facebook video
By Armando Rasing II
May 29, 2026 (Lemon Grove) – A vote concerning a potential ordinance development was pushed to June 16 during the last Lemon Grove City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 19.
City Council members were scheduled to choose between adopting a local draft ordinance, which would have been presented to the council in June, with more permanent tenant protections or referring back to state law.
During the meeting, they also went over various policy options that would be in an ordinance.
Policies that were mentioned include: a local ordinance must have more tenant protections than state law, otherwise it would be void, and it may limit the amount of rent that is charged for a new tenant when the previous tenant was evicted for no-fault just cause reasons.
Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow filed a motion to move the discussion, citing her “stamina” as an issue as the meeting was going on more than five hours.
“There’s been considerable discussion; there’s a lot for us to think about,” Snow said. “I think that this discussion would go until 1 a.m., and I don’t have the stamina for that. And so what I’m [going to] do is request that this be put off — council’s deliberation, the discussion about this — until the second meeting in June.”
Snow cited her “day job” and needing a nap as further reasons she did not want to continue the meeting. While Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza seconded the motion, she expressed her opposition to Snow’s motion.
“I am not feeling well,” Mendoza said. “I came here sick so that I can hear everyone speak.”
Councilmember Yadira Altamirano asked for a substitute motion to move the item until the beginning of August, when the emergency ordinance ends, to handle “city business” and to give the council members “time to digest.” The substitute motion failed as none of the council members seconded it.
Councilmember Seth Smith, Mendoza and Snow voted yes for the vote to be moved to the second meeting in June, effectively moving the item. Mayor Pro Tem Jessyka Heredia and Altamirano voted no. Heredia specified that she wanted to vote that night, stating that the item had been “put off long enough.”
Some community members expressed their disapproval of the ordinance discussion being pushed back on social media. Lemon Grove City Council candidate Jasmin Mendoza stated in the comment section of a Facebook post that council members have had enough time to make a decision.
“From my perspective, it appeared the support in the room was not where some expected it to be, and that likely played a role in the push to delay the matter further,” Mendoza said. “Residents took time out of their evening to come speak, and I believe their voices deserved to be heard through action, not continued postponement.”
Last February, the Lemon Grove City Council voted to approve an emergency ordinance to help assist no-fault evicted tenants. The temporary ordinance, which began on Feb. 3, will end in the beginning of August.
The ordinance states that no-fault tenants have 120 days to vacate the property and are given relocation assistance at the amount of one month’s rent at fair market value. If the tenant is over the age of 60, they will receive two months rent worth of relocation assistance.
Following the order of the emergency ordinance, the City of Lemon Grove held two public workshops to hear opinions from the public on what they would want in an ordinance.
Interim Lemon Grove City Manager Tony Winney said that tenants in attendance at the workshops expressed concern that “without stronger protections, they might face rent increases, unjust evictions or displacement caused by rising housing costs.”
Landlords in attendance expressed concern that a tenant protection ordinance would “increase production costs and create more administrative burdens” for them. Other landlords expressed concern that more tenant rights would make it more difficult to address tenants not paying their rent or damaging the property.
The council has had differing opinions on how to handle tenant protections. Last March, Smith and Altamirano left a city council meeting regarding a discussion of a stakeholder group for the emergency ordinance after requesting that Snow recuse herself due to a “conflict of interest.” Snow refused to recuse herself, and both Smith and Altamirano exited the meeting.
The next City Council Meeting will at 6 p.m., Tuesday June 2 at the Lemon Grove Community Center. The next discussion about a possible tenant ordinance will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16 at the Lemon Grove Community Center.