On June 20, 2018, California Supreme Court denied review of Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute v. City & County of San Francisco (2018) 22 Cal.App.5th 77, thus affirming its holding, striking a 10-year ban on alterations of non-conforming units following the Ellis Act evictions. The decision was reached on the preemption argument of the Ellis Act (Cal. Gov. Code § 7060 et seq.). How often it is a winning argument, and how universally its preemption is applied? Let us take a look at a few recent decisions.
