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2015 SF Tenant Rights Fair – Tenants speak out on eviction fights
A tenant’s rights conference was held at the Tenderloin Community School all day last Saturday, April 25. The event was sponsored by the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition, which is a joint collaboration of most or all of the housing rights organizations in the city. The Coalition is together to continue a multi-pronged campaign to turn around the escalating epidemic of big money-oriented evictions aimed at driving the price of housing out of reach of mostly everyone except wealthy people (22 min).
Listen now:
Hear three renters speak out on their collective campaigns. In each case, building tenants are successfully allying with their neighbors to fight speculator-driven evictions evictions. In these and many others rental buildings around the City, speculators have created phony legalistic reasons to try to clear out whole buildings of rent control tenants to raise their profits on the buildings.
The first speaker is from 1049 Market Street. These renters are part of an escalating gentrification on upper Market and SOMA property brought about by the misguided payroll tax breaks handed to Twitter and other high tech companies taking over this section of town on the cheap. While the tax giveaway has reportedly cost the city estimates of well over 50 million dollars, it has also created open season on conversions of lower and moderate income housing and lower profit small businesses which serve the community.
I believe the next two speakers are from housing units in the North Beach/Chinatown area, another central city neighborhood in which profiteers are pushing out lower income residents and businesses at an alarming rate. Rent controlled private market rate tenants, disabled and other groups of people in low-income subsidized units, and the cheaper residential hotels are all targeted. The Asian population including non-English speaking tenants are allying themselves with renter’s rights organizations and direct action approaches to fight to stay in their homes.
The first speaker is from 1049 Market Street. These renters are part of an escalating gentrification on upper Market and SOMA property brought about by the misguided payroll tax breaks handed to Twitter and other high tech companies taking over this section of town on the cheap. While the tax giveaway has reportedly cost the city estimates of well over 50 million dollars, it has also created open season on conversions of lower and moderate income housing and lower profit small businesses which serve the community.
I believe the next two speakers are from housing units in the North Beach/Chinatown area, another central city neighborhood in which profiteers are pushing out lower income residents and businesses at an alarming rate. Rent controlled private market rate tenants, disabled and other groups of people in low-income subsidized units, and the cheaper residential hotels are all targeted. The Asian population including non-English speaking tenants are allying themselves with renter’s rights organizations and direct action approaches to fight to stay in their homes.
Listen now:
Listen now:
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Not all evictions are due to speculators. Some of the properties are mom and pop owners, who have subsidized below market rents for over 25 years, and for valid and legal reasons, want to withdraw the property from rental. i.e. need to get sell for financial reasons, tired of being a landlord, moving out of the area.
I have a very financially-able tenant, renting a 2 bedroom for $1300 in a the Lake street area. I operate the property at an annual loss, and expect to pay 25K for relocation fees and 15k in legal fees. The relocation fees might have been over 100k if the court did not declare the last passed ordinance unconstitutional. If the city wants to address the housing crises, it should promote and develop more housing, not penalize property owners. If the City wants to purchase and take over the property from me, I'd be happy to sell.
I have a very financially-able tenant, renting a 2 bedroom for $1300 in a the Lake street area. I operate the property at an annual loss, and expect to pay 25K for relocation fees and 15k in legal fees. The relocation fees might have been over 100k if the court did not declare the last passed ordinance unconstitutional. If the city wants to address the housing crises, it should promote and develop more housing, not penalize property owners. If the City wants to purchase and take over the property from me, I'd be happy to sell.
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