Help Small Businesses Get the Protections they Need to Thrive
Join us in demanding transparent and fair commercial tenant practices to prevent small businesses in California from getting displaced.
Thanks to your support, SB 1103 has been passed and signed into California law!
WHY IS SB 1103 IMPORTANT? Across California, small businesses and nonprofits are being forced out of business and displaced from their communities at alarming rates. Commercial tenants have far fewer protections than residential tenants, leaving them vulnerable to rent increases, unclear and unfair lease terms, exorbitant added fees, and complex commercial lease agreements. More protections ensure that community-serving small businesses and nonprofits have a fighting chance to stay in business in their neighborhoods!
Starting in 2025, this new California law will help commercial tenants remain in place by eliminating hidden fees, increasing notice periods, and requiring in-language leases.
WILL SB 1103 AFFECT YOU? Are you a business owner with five or fewer employees, or a restaurant owner with fewer than 10 employees, or a nonprofit with 25 or fewer employees? If yes, learn more about how you can practice your rights here.
If not, then looks like this new law doesn’t impact you directly.
SB 1103, The Commercial Tenant Protection Act of 2024, was authored by Senator Caroline Menjivar (D - San Fernando Valley), signed by Gavin Newsom, and co-sponsored by Inclusive Action for the City, Public Counsel, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Small Business Majority, and the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO).
What is SBAEC?
The Small Business Alliance for Equitable Communities is composed of eight organizations committed to advancing advocacy, driving systemic change, and promoting equitable public budget planning across Los Angeles County and California. Our mission is to empower historically marginalized communities through strategic policy work and collaborative efforts at the city, county, and state levels, fostering lasting structural change. Since COVID‑19, small businesses nationwide have been under mounting financial pressure. In Los Angeles County, this strain has led to an increased risk of displacement due to factors like rising commercial rents, lack of tenant protections, landlord harassment, and gentrification pressures.
Commercial Tenant Empowerment
Advocacy for protections and rights of commercial tenants in underserved communities
Inclusive Processes And Resources
Advocacy for inclusive and equitable funding, programs, and policies to strengthen underserved small businesses
Alternative Ownership Models
Advocacy for community land and real estate stewardship, ownership and control