Darius Mohsenin

Santa Cruz’s rental inspection program was created to protect tenants from unsafe housing, but property owner Darius Mohsenin argues it has evolved into a system focused more on permits, paperwork and minor violations than actual habitability. He contends that inspectors increasingly rely on bureaucratic enforcement rather than practical safety expertise, allowing complaints to trigger sweeping property inspections and costly citations. He urges the Santa Cruz City Council to refocus the program on genuine health and safety issues instead of what he sees as regulatory overreach that raises housing costs and strains relationships with property owners.

Darius Mohsenin says he goes to most Santa Cruz housing meetings and he’s tired of the “gray hairs,” who purchased their property decades ago, complaining. “Their objections follow a tiring, predictable pattern,” he writes, naming concerns about water, construction emissions, temporary disturbances to local wildlife, traffic congestion or simply aesthetic preferences about building heights. “These arguments ignore the reality that concentrating housing and traffic in our downtown core is precisely what sustainable urban planning calls for. It reduces sprawl, promotes walkability and creates vibrant community spaces.”