I don't agree. In multi-family dwellings such as apartments, a certain amount of government oversight is necessary, for the safety of everyone else living in the same unit. I don't see what is so unreasonable about these proposed inspections, or the bill itself.
As for the constitutional objections to the bill, I believe these inspections would constitute a textbook example of "reasonable" within the Fourth Amendment. If I lived in an apartment complex, I for one would consider it eminently "reasonable" to be as sure as humanly possible that my neighbor's apartment won't burn to the ground and, coincidentally, incinerate me as well.
Want to live in a shotgun shack with bad wiring, leaky pipes, cockroaches, and poor ventilation? Don't want it inspected by the government? Fine - then move to a single family dwelling (preferably outside the city) and re-create "The Grapes of Wrath" if you want to. At least then, if your place burns to the ground because it doesn't meet code, it won't take me and my family with it. Just don't expect to live in my apartment complex and feel you have the "right" to avoid reasonable, sane inspections of your unit's physical condition.
City employees must limit the scope of their inspection to the legal mandate. In addition, they must be very professional as they are in your home, on your dollar, providing a service to you.
When they slip from that scope, their actions are unprofessional and open them up to a whole new world of problems.
But, next time, the government will take some of your rights and see how you like it.
Move.
How long before the first catastrophe, followed by great gnashing of teeth, an investigation, revelations that the board of inspectors was underfunded, or run by an incompetent, demands for more funding, you know the drill. I doubt seriously any local government could conduct effective inspections of every rental property in a timely enough manner to make any real difference. I'm sure there are far fewer restaurants than rental properties in this locale, and I wonder how often and how thoroughly the restaurants are inspected.
It's in the landlords best interest to maintain the terms of the lease and local housing codes in order to attract tenants. Let them do the inspecting. If renters don't want to live in a property where the landlord fails to maintain minimum standards, that's their choice.