Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler pushed Oregon lawmakers Thursday to adopt statewide renter protection measures similar to the ones he and the Portland City Council adopted last month.

He is among a long list of Democrats lobbying for a bill that would repeal a statewide ban on rent control and prohibit no-cause evictions. Preventing "displacement" of vulnerable people was a repeated refrain.

Current eviction rules "put thousands of Portlanders and Oregonians at unnecessary risk of displacement," Wheeler said.

Scores of landlords testified too, pushing back against the notion they have too much power. They argued no cause evictions allow them to get rid of bad tenants that make living difficult or uncomfortable for other renters. Just cause cases are hard to win, they said, against tenants accused of sexual harassment and other community nuisances.

House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said increasing housing supply doesn't go far enough in protecting renters on the brink of losing their homes or in helping young families seeking stable living.

"The current rental market is failing too many Oregonians when it comes to predictability and sustainability," she said. "Today's conversation is about combating displacement."

The House Human Services and Housing Committee heard hours of testimony Thursday for and against House Bill 2004, which would, with certain exceptions, prohibit landlords from ending month-to-month leases without cause. Most landlords who want to evict tenants without cause would have to give 90 days' written notice and pay relocation fees.

Fifteen democrats sponsored the bill, including four primary sponsors from the Portland area: Rep. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham, Rep. Karin Power, D-Milwaukie and Rep. Diego Hernandez, D-Portland.

Renters told stories about single parents of disabled children getting evicted without cause, veterans' widows getting displaced and landlords evicting them in retaliation for complaints about construction.

Landlords shared stories about tenants who dealt drugs or committed other crimes that weren't prosecuted and therefore could not serve as justification for a just-cause eviction.

They said they would not have chosen to enter the market knowing that this regulation would limit their ability to save for retirement.

"We've all got to come together to work on it together," Wheeler said. "It's got to be a data driven process."

Wheeler said he hopes landlords will come to the table to help craft a "just-cause" eviction process that would be fair to both sides.

"A just-cause eviction standard is about setting a level playing field for everyone, for landlords and tenants alike," he said.

--Jessica Floum

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