Newsom vetoes condo conversion legislation

Mayor Gavin Newsom weighed in on the simmering debate over condominium conversions in The City on Friday by vetoing a controversial piece of legislation that would have strengthened eviction-notification laws.

The law, sponsored by Supervisor Chris Daly and intended as a check on the condo conversion boom, would require sellers to notify prospective buyers at real estate open houses whether someone had been evicted from the building and whether they were elderly, severely ill or handicapped.

Newsom said he's sensitive to the issue of tenant evictions but said Daly's legislation was not a good solution.

“I believe that disclosure should occur at an appropriate point in the sales process, when a buyer has demonstrated meaningful interest in the unit for sale, rather than as currently proposed, which I consider overly vague and difficult to enforce,” Newsom said.

Currently, the disclosure is required during escrow, but Daly felt that was too late in the process. The legislation was originally passed with six votes — two short of the number needed for a veto override.

E-mail: jjouvenal@examiner.com