Editorial: New rules for renters on electric vehicle charging stations

Alan Pentico

Many people will tell you electric vehicles are the future. If this is true, changes must be made to allow for this shift, especially in a region in which car transportation is so heavily relied upon. That said, California has created legislation to start allowing for some EV changes to take place within rental communities.

Effective on July 1 of this year, renters may now request that their landlord allow them to install an electric vehicle charging station in their parking space. While many red flags went up when the legislation was introduced, this is a bill that was significantly amended, and the San Diego County Apartment Association ultimately allowed the bill to make its way through the legislature.

Rental properties with fewer than five parking spaces and those subject to rent control are exempt. Also exempt are properties where electric vehicle charging stations already exist for lessees in a ratio that is equal to or greater than 10 percent of the designated parking spaces or where parking is not provided as part of the lease agreement. A landlord is not required to provide an additional parking space to accommodate the charging station, and if the charging station installation results in a reserved parking space, a landlord may charge a monthly fee.

The law requires that the electric vehicle charging station and all modifications and improvements made to the property comply with federal, state and local law as well as all applicable zoning requirements, land use requirements, covenants, conditions and restrictions.

A tenant must make a written request to make a modification to the property in order to install and use an electric vehicle charging station and must comply with the landlord’s requirements for the installation, use, maintenance, and removal of the charging station. Additionally, the tenant must maintain a $1 million lessee’s general liability insurance policy.

Insurance rates vary and it should be interesting to see what the average rate is as renters invest in charging stations.

Public charging station costs vary depending on the type of installation, number of stations, and site specifics. Single-port charging station hardware usually costs about $2,300, but can be as high as $6,000 for some features and brands, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute.

In response to this new law, SDCAA is creating an addendum specifically to address requests for electric vehicle charging stations. While our position remains neutral on this new legislation, we are hopeful that it helps clear the way for greener living in San Diego.

—Alan Pentico is Executive Director of the San Diego County Apartment Association.

Editorial: Continuing momentum in 2015

Scott Sherman

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s annual State of the City speech to hear his plans on moving San Diego forward.

Mayor Faulconer laid out some very exciting plans for 2015 that I feel will benefit the District 7 community. In his speech, the mayor promised to continue reinvesting back into our communities.

Some exciting proposals include dedicating more funds to improving roads and infrastructure in neighborhoods, and improving our libraries.

Regarding roads, the topic I am most concerned about, Faulconer committed to making street repairs the city’s top infrastructure priority. In the next five years, over 1,000 miles of streets — roughly one-third of the city’s roads — will be repaired.

Also, the city’s first ever multi-year plan for neighborhood repairs will be introduced as well as new reforms to speed up repair projects.

Another exciting proposal is to triple the broadband Internet speed in every branch of San Diego’s Public Libraries.

High-speed Internet access is a necessity for educational and employment purposes for San Diegans. Increased Internet speeds will help District 7 students learn and finish important school projects. It will also help adults and parents to do extensive research and possibly learn a new and more lucrative trade.

The mayor laid-out some innovative ideas on how to improve our city and to continue moving San Diego forward. I look forward to working with my colleagues to implement these important goals.

In other exciting news, the San Diego Padres announced that the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played at Petco Park in 2016.

The announcement to host the All-Star Game at Petco Park in 2016 is great news for our region. Not only will this event generate nearly $85 million in economic activity, it will also serve as a worldwide marketing opportunity to showcase the many strength our beautiful city has to offer.

There is much to look forward to for our great city. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if my office can ever be of service. Please call my office at 619-236-6677 or email me at [email protected].