Following a more than 25% increase in SF rents over the past year, Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a rent emergency Thursday and unveiled several measures aimed at protecting tenants from unfair evictions and rent spikes. Declaring San Francisco to be in a “rent emergency” Thursday, Mayor Daniel Lu rie unveiled a package including six proposed ordinances aimed at protecting tenants from evictions and steep rent increases. The package also includes more than $30 million in additional investments for eviction defense and rental assistance.The proposals include increasing Ellis Act relocation payments by 25%, or about $3,000 per tenant, and adding $3 million to the city’s free legal representation program for tenants facing eviction, as the Chronicle reports. This would allow about 400 households that otherwise would receive only partial assistance to get comprehensive legal help.The package also includes a proposal backed by Supervisor Jackie Fielder, which was announced last week. Fielder’s measure would prohibit evictions unless a tenant owes more than one month’s fair-market rent under the federal standard. Additionally, legislation from Supervisors Danny Sauter and Matt Dorsey would cap “banked” rent increases at 10% and require tenants to receive annual reminders about rent-increase limits and eviction protections.The city’s Homelessness Department will also support $27 million in rental subsidies for about 650 extremely low-income households expected to lose federal housing vouchers at the end of the year.The measures come as San Francisco rents have surged more than 25% over the past year, with a typical one-bedroom now costing more than $4,000 per month. According to the New York Times, eviction notices also increased 44% during the city’s latest yearlong reporting period, while the Eviction Defense Collaborative says landlords have initiated more than 2,400 evictions since January.Lurie has faced pressure from housing advocates and progressives to do more as rents climb. Per the Chronicle, former Supervisor Dean Preston posted a reel last week unfavorably comparing Lurie's approach with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s rent policies. The Times reports that other cities have also tried different approaches, including Santa Fe tying its minimum wage to local rent costs and Seattle banning rental “junk fees.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dean Preston (@deanprestond5) “San Francisco is in a rent emergency, and as elected leaders in this city, we need to take action that meets the moment,” Lurie said Thursday at a news conference in Alamo Square, per the Chronicle. “Rising rents are making it harder for the people who have built their lives here to stay here.”The city will additionally spend $1 million on a “Know Your Rights” campaign to educate renters and landlords about legal protections and responsibilities. The campaign will be conducted with help from the Chamber of Commerce, while the city will also encourage more tenants to use the City Attorney’s Office complaint system to report potentially illegal conduct by property owners.City Attorney David Chiu’s office has reportedly seen an increase in complaints about landlords allegedly violating tenant protections, including improperly raising rents in ways that could leave tenants unable to pay.“Tenant protection laws can only help if tenants know about them and they're enforced,” Chiu said.Related: SF Supervisor Introduces Proposal Limiting Evictions Over Unpaid Rent ...read more read less