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CAA pressures San Mateo to stall just cause renter protections

by Lynda Carson (tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com)
Councilman David Lim and other council members have been targeted
by the CAA and CAA Tri-County for proposing a just cause eviction
protection ordinance to keep families from being displaced by unfair
and unjust no-cause evictions in San Mateo. This is known as the
eviction-for profit-system!
(Corrected Version - Due to a few errors in the other version, I felt the need to make a corrected version. Sorry for any confusion. (LC)

California Apartment Association pressures San Mateo to stall just
cause renter protections

By Lynda Carson - September 12, 2015

San Mateo - The California Apartment Association (CAA) may have lied
to its 13,000 members as part of the scheme to pressure the City
Council of San Mateo to stall efforts to pass emergency just cause
eviction protections.

Tuesday evening, September 8, after being pressured by the CAA and CAA
Tri-County and it’s members, the council blocked a proposal by
Councilman David Lim that was supported by Councilman Rick Bonilla.
The emergency just cause eviction protection ordinance that would have
slowed down the displacement and possible homelessness of the elderly,
disabled, low-income, and working class renters, including veterans in
San Mateo, would need to be voted on September 21, if passed by the
council.

Councilman David Lim and other council members have been targeted by
the CAA and CAA Tri-County for proposing a just cause eviction
protection ordinance to keep families from being displaced by unfair
and unjust no-cause evictions in San Mateo. This is known as the
eviction-for profit-system.

Click on link below…

http://caanet.org/tag/councilmember-david-lim/

On September 8, Council Member Lim was expected to introduce an
emergency just cause ordinance to be voted on. If the City Council
approved the proposal the item would have moved forward to the
September 21 public hearing. The ordinance would have officially been
voted on then by the council, but was stalled after the council was
pressured by the members of the CAA, and CAA Tri-County.

The 13,000 member California Apartment Association CAA, and CAA
Tri-County is meddling in the affairs of San Mateo, and opposes renter
protections in San Mateo, and everywhere else throughout California.
As usual, the CAA trotted out the same baseless reasons that lack any
validity, and they demand the issue be studied further as a way to
block the renter protections from becoming the law of the land.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of renters throughout California and San
Mateo continue to be displaced and made homeless, while the wealthy
landlords bank accounts get fatter by the moment with the eviction-for
profit-system.

The CAA may have lied to its members to get them out in force to
oppose renter protections in San Mateo.

On the CAA website it states that if passed, the just cause eviction
protection ordinance would apply to all rental housing in San Mateo
regardless of type, size, or year it was built.

However, according to a September 5 article by The Daily Journal, "The
ordinance would not apply to certain property owners, such as those
who live on site and share use of a kitchen or bathroom — as in the
case of a single-family home — or apartments with less than three
units with the landlord residing on site as well."

Click on link below for details showing that the CAA may have lied to
its very own members to frighten them into opposing renter protections
in San Mateo, by claiming the just cause eviction protection ordinance
would apply to all rental housing regardless of type, size, or year it
was built.

http://caanet.org/tag/councilmember-david-lim/

Now, click on the link below for The Daily Journal article that
states: "The ordinance would not apply to certain property owners,
such as those who live on site and share use of a kitchen or bathroom
— as in the case of a single-family home — or apartments with less
than three units with the landlord residing on site as well."

Click on link below…

http://tinyurl.com/ouoh7wb

Seeing that the CAA may have lied to it’s “VERY OWN MEMBERS” to
frighten them into opposing renter protections in San Mateo, it all
sounds vaguely familiar of all the citizens complaints in Richmond,
who testified recently, and claimed that they were tricked and lied to
by the supporters of the CAA into signing a petition to oppose renter
protections in Richmond.

In a September 9th email from Cindy Cornell of Burlingame Advocates
for Renter Protections, a tenant advocate, and supporter of renter
protections for San Mateo and San Mateo County, she stated: "It turned
out badly for renters. Ive sent a letter to the daily journal. They
will likely publish it...just don’t know when. You can see the text of
it on our fb page.”

On September 10, it was reported in The Daily Journal: “Hundreds of
people from all sides of the spectrum — including property owners,
real estate agents, teachers, families and low-income renters —
gathered Tuesday night as Councilman David Lim sought to persuade
officials to place a temporary 90-day just cause eviction ordinance
for a vote Sept. 21.”

The item was pulled because of pressure from the CAA/CAA Tri-County
and it’s members who pressured three members of the council into
ignoring the plight of renters in San Mateo. This stalled the
temporary 90-day just cause eviction ordinance proposal to protect
renters.

Additionally, according to reports, Council Members Lim and Bonilla
supported placing the proposal at the next council meeting for
consideration on September 21, but they lacked support from the other
council members being pressured by the CAA to dump the proposal. The
other council members that did not support the proposal, decided to
pretend that it needs to be studied more.

“I think we need to have a process that isn’t just a piecemeal one. I
want us to really look at this. I’d like more data, more fact finding
and then come to a solution that is from a process of engagement,”
said Mayor Maureen Freschet, as was reported.

It was also reported that housing/tenant activists declared that
landlords who were not evicting renters for no reason shouldn’t be
worried about a just cause eviction ordinance in San Mateo.

“We’re talking about good landlords who will not be punished, but
there are bad landlords that should be controlled just as bad tenants
should be controlled,” said Jennifer Martinez, executive director of
Peninsula Interfaith Action. “We don’t have the same protection as
renters that we should have because the market is screaming. And many,
not the good landlords, but the bad landlords want to take advantage
of that and hurt our families.”

It was also reported that Daniel Saver, an attorney with Community
Legal Aid Services, said: “Our organization has been contacted by 57
families that received no-cause evictions from their San Mateo homes
in the last seven months alone. But we (the nonprofit) estimate the
number of those evicted was much higher and it’s likely hundreds of
people have been unjustly forced to leave their homes.”

The CAA Pressured The City Council To Oppose Renter Protections In San Mateo

Councilman David Lim and the other council members were targeted by
the CAA, and CAA Tri-County members to oppose renter protections in
San Mateo.

The following standard letter below from the CAA/CAA Tri-County, was
recently sent out on it’s website to its 13,000 members including the
members that may be operating in San Mateo. This was done as an effort
to target Council Member David Lim, Mayor Freshet, Deputy Mayor
Matthews, Council Member Bonilla and Council Member Joe Goethals, into
rejecting an emergency just cause proposal.

Dear Mayor Freschet and City Council Members:

Please do not approve Councilmember David Lim’s request to introduce
an emergency Just Cause Eviction ordinance for discussion on September
21st.

I encourage you to work with the rental housing industry to
collaborate and identify reasonable solutions to address the housing
shortage we are facing in our city and this region. Do not rush this
process and make harmful decisions without giving all stakeholders an
opportunity to work with the city.

Just Cause Eviction limits our ability to keep our residents safe.
Most importantly, it does not address the demand for affordable
housing.

Please refrain from considering punitive measures and explore other
solutions that does not punish small business owners and jeopardizes
neighborhood safety.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME)

Click on link below for CAA/CAA Tri-County letter…

http://caanet.org/tag/councilmember-david-lim/

The CAA and CAA Tri-County urged it’s 13,000 members, including
members in San Mateo to forward their message, and to share the alert
with other San Mateo rental property owners.

Additionally, the CAA urged it’s members to appear and bring other
members from the rental housing industry to the council meeting to
oppose just cause renter protections. And it appears that the CAA may
have lied to it’s “VERY OWN MEMBERS” to frighten them into opposing
renter protections in San Mateo.

Apparently, this is the same thing they do when other cities in
California consider renter protections to protect children, the
elderly, the disabled, veterans, the working class, including school
teachers, restaurant workers, construction workers, and many others
from being displaced from their communities.

In a September 11 notice sent out to it’s 13,000 members, the CAA
brags that they managed to pressure the San Mateo City Council into
rejecting the just cause eviction proposal, and the issue will not be
taken up at the September 21 council meeting as a direct result of
meddling in the affairs of the San Mateo city government.

Click below to see how the CAA brags about pressuring the San Mateo
City Council, and meddling in their affairs.

http://caanet.org/san-mateo-city-council-rejects-just-cause-eviction-proposal/

While bragging that the emergency just cause eviction protection
proposal was stalled, the CAA also declared that tenants are
dangerous, and a bunch of drug dealers. When referring to just cause
eviction protections, the CAA claims: “Such a policy hinders a
landlord’s ability to rid communities of dangerous tenants, such as
suspected drug dealers.”

Painting the working class, including school teachers, construction
workers, veterans, the elderly, disabled, and families with children
as being dangerous, drug dealers and possible criminals, in the effort
to conceal their real activities, such as raking in billions of
dollars hand over fist annually, is how the CAA and it’s 13,000
members operate, with very unclean hands. The CAA knows how to stir up
wealthy property owners and the rental housing industry, when humane
solutions such as renter protections are being proposed.

The end result of their tactics and possible lies to their own
members, is that the CAA creates an environment of inhumane conditions
for the working class, including school teachers, construction
workers, store clerks, city workers, veterans, the elderly, disabled,
and families with children facing eviction, displacement and
homelessness by wealthy greedy landlords involved in the eviction-for
profit-system, throughout the state of California.

On September 21, a special hearing will be held by the council at San
Mateo City Hall in an effort to discuss possible solutions including
rent control, and just cause eviction protections that may be
beneficial to renters, and honest landlords not involved in the
eviction-for profit-system.

There can not be, and never will be a solution to ending the
eviction-for-profit system in San Mateo without the council passing a
renter protection ordinance, that includes rent control, and just
cause eviction protections, unless the citizens unite against the
greedy landlords, and use a petition to create an ordinance of renter
protections.

Presently, tenant activists are urging everyone to contact the San
Mateo City Council to demand a humane solution to the eviction-for
profit-system by passing a renter protection ordinance that includes
rent control, and just cause eviction protections.

As an example, everyone can send a letter or email such as the one
below to the San Mateo City Council.

Dear Mayor Freschet and City Council Members:

Please pass an emergency Just Cause Eviction Ordinance on September
21, including rent control, as a way to end the eviction-for
profit-system in San Mateo that is targeting the working class,
including school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city
workers, union workers, veterans, the elderly, disabled, and families
with children.

I encourage you to work with tenant advocates, the working class,
including school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city
workers, union members, veterans, the elderly, disabled, and families
with children being targeted by the California Apartment Association
(CAA), and their eviction-for profit-system.

Please do not collaborate with the CAA and it’s wealthy members
involved in the eviction-for profit-system, an inhumane system.

Just Cause Eviction protections and rent control help to keep the
working class, including school teachers, construction workers, store
clerks, city workers, union members, veterans, the elderly, disabled,
and families with children being targeted by the California Apartment
Association (CAA), safely in their communities as long as they pay
their rent, and are not in breach of their contracts, or just cause
eviction protections.

Please pass an emergency Just Cause Eviction Ordinance on September
21, including rent control, as a solution that works to end the
eviction-for profit-system in San Mateo. This is the only way to keep
our communities safe from the CAA, and greedy landlords that
jeopardizes neighborhood safety and our communities, with the
eviction-forprofit-system.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
(YOUR NAME)

Activists are urging everyone to contact the council members before
September 21, 2015.

Call or send your email messages by September 21, 2015. The more emails
the better...

Mayor Maureen Freschet – 650.522.7522 ext. 6268 – mfreschet [at] cityofsanmateo.org
Deputy Mayor Jack Matthews – 650.522.7522 etx. 6266 –
jmatthews [at] cityofsanmateo.org
Council Member Rick Bonilla – 650.522.7522 etx. 6263 –
rbonilla [at] cityofsanmateo.org
Council Member Joe Goethals – 650.522.7522 etx. 6264 –
jgoethals [at] cityofsanmateo.org
Council Member David Lim – 650.522.7522 ext. 6267 – dlim [at] cityofsanmateo.org

Lynda Carson my be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

For more about the CAA, see below…

An Inside Look At The CAA

The CAA is listed as a nonprofit, 501(c) (6), with a tax exempt
status. Though the CAA calls itself an association, records (tax
filing with IRS) reveal that the organization is not listed as a
trust, or association, but is listed as a corporation. The year of
formation for the CAA was 1940, in California. Their main office is
located at 980 Ninth St., No.1430, in Sacramento.

According to public records, during 2013 the California Apartment
Association (CAA), an organization (so-called non profit) comprised of
wealthy property owners had $7,256,302 in assets. During 2013 their
gross receipts were $7,195,599. Their wealth grew immensely since CAA
declared that they had $5,040,048 in assets during 2011. The CAA also
claims that it has 13,000 members in their organization.

According to public records, during 2013, Thomas K. Bannon, CEO of
CAA, raked in $300,653 including $24,265 in other compensation for his
activities.

Salaries, other compensation and employee benefits payed out in total
during 2013 by CAA was $3,671,833.

In 2013, after subtracting $512,055 in total liabilities from their
total assets of $7,256,302, the CAA had a fund balance or net assets
of$6,744,247.

The CAA describes it’s mission very clearly. According to public
records: “The organization’s mission is to represent the ethical
members of the rental housing industry in all aspects of government
affairs within the State of California, and to provide information,
products, and services which contribute to the success of their
businesses.” The CAA does not mention what happens to unethical
members of the housing industry that may be part of their
organization.

Additionally, the CAA is doing everything possible to undermine the
efforts to have a just cause eviction ordinance in San Mateo, needed
to protect renters from displacement from their housing, with no-cause
eviction notices.

Click below for details.

http://caanet.org/call-to-action-oppose-just-cause-eviction-in-san-mateo/

Click below to see how the CAA brags about pressuring the San Mateo
City Council into rejecting renter protections.

http://caanet.org/san-mateo-city-council-rejects-just-cause-eviction-proposal/

The Political Power And Influence Of The CAA

The CAA collects political contributions from entities all across the
state that may be used to influence the selection, nomination, and
election of political candidates throughout California. This is all
done in the effort to pursue untold riches from renters that are being
ripped off by greedy landlords all across the state, because they lack
renters protections, including rent control, and just cause eviction
protections.

The corrupting political influence of the California Apartment
Association (CAA) and it’s Political Action Committee in this state is
wide spread, and unrelenting.

After collecting financial contributions from contributors around the
state, the CAA/PAC hands out the money hand over fist in an effort to
influence the selection, nomination, and election of political
candidates, at the state and local level.

In part, this how they operate. Various entities make financial
contributions to the California Apartment Association Political Action
Committee (CAA/PAC). As of June 30, 2015, CAA/PAC had $540,646 on
hand. As another example, during 2007 CAA/PAC had $574,924 available
to hand out as political contributions.

Click on link below to see who is giving money to CAA/PAC.

http://www.electiontrack.com/lookup.php?committee=1019401

The following partial list of political expenditures (BIG MONEY)
handed out by CAA/PAC may give you an idea as to how much BIG MONEY
CAA/PAC has payed out in campaign contributions in recent years. Total
given in 2012: $430,700. Total given in 2011: $74,500. Total given in
2010: $545,088. Total given in 2008: $301,532. Total given in 2007:
$129,727. Total given in 2006: $340,192. Total given in 2005:
$105,000. Total given in 2004: $364,300.

The total handed out in political contributions by CAA/PAC from 2004
to 2012 is a whopping $2,161,312, which may include an additional
$129,727 during 2007. That is a lot of money to buy power, corrupt the
system, and influence elections. Enough power and influence, to make
sure that the CAA deprives as many renters as possible from having
renters protections, including rent control, and just cause eviction
protections throughout California.

Click on link below for lists and links to CAA/PAC political campaign
contributions.

http://tinyurl.com/qe36jqj

Campaign contributions for 2007 are not available through the link
above, but the link below will offer a glimpse into who the CAA was
trying to influence and corrupt during 2007. Once the PDF file is
opened, scroll down to the bottom pages to see who was accepting
political contributions from CAA/PAC during 2007.

http://tinyurl.com/p2um6q2

As an example of what BIG MONEY from CAA/PAC can do or buy (according
to CAA), feel free to click on the link below for a few candidates
that were supported and financed by the CAA/PAC for office in Los
Angeles.

http://caanet.org/los-angeles-garcetti-takes-mayoral-race/

For a look at the latest 990 tax filing by the CAA click on the link below.

http://tinyurl.com/oshnhoc

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