San Mateo needs rent control & just cause eviction protections

San Mateo needs rent control & just cause eviction protections

By Lynda Carson - September 19, 2015

San Mateo - Housing and tenant activists are urging renters and their supporters to appear and speak up in support of rent control & just cause eviction protections at the San Mateo City Council meeting at 7pm Monday, September 21.

Renters and their supporters are urged to get there a little early to sign up as speakers in support of rent control & just cause eviction protections. This is a community out-reach effort to protect community members from displacement, homelessness, and the eviction-for profit-system.

The Mayor and City Council has been targeted by the San Mateo County Association of Realtors (SAMCOR), and the California Apartment Association (CAA). They are pressuring the City Council to abandon any and all humane efforts and proposals involving renter protections, including rent control and just cause eviction protections needed to save affordable housing in San Mateo.

SAMCOR and the CAA is opposed to any efforts to protect 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.

SAMCOR has a propaganda flyer going around in an attempt to incite landlords into a state of panic with it’s lies and deceit. It starts out, “ALERT! Property Owners In San Mateo. Next week, a public hearing will take place at San Mateo City Hall to address the “shortage of affordable housing” in San Mateo. Tenant advocacy groups have been showing up in large numbers at City Hall and pushing for measures that would result in a loss of property rights for homeowners, a downturn in property value, and may cause a decline in some neighborhoods.

Additionally, the CAA sent a notice out to it’s 13,000 members loaded with propaganda accusing renters in San Mateo of being dangerous, and calling them drug dealers, in the attempt to stop the council from adopting any humane renter protections, including rent control and just cause eviction protections that will make our communities safe from any greedy landlords involved in the eviction-for profit-system.

Making our communities safer with renter protections for the working class, including school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city workers, veterans, the elderly, disabled, and families with children, does not create a downturn in property values, or result in a loss of property rights for homeowners.

Renter protections create vibrant communities by allow the working class, including school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city workers, veterans, the elderly, disabled, and families with children, to remain in their communities without fear of being displaced and made homeless, as long as they pay their rent, and are not in breach of their contracts.

Rent control allows landlords a fair return on their investment, and just cause eviction protections keep bad landlords from getting involved in the eviction-for profit-system. It is a fair deal for all parties involved.

On September 21, a special hearing will be held by the council at San Mateo City Hall in an effort to discuss possible solutions to save affordable housing, 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 cannot 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.

The only way to “save existing affordable housing” is by creating a humane system of renter protections, including rent control, and just cause eviction protections.

Presently, housing and tenant activists are urging everyone to appear at the September 21 meeting, and to contact the San Mateo City Council to propose 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, in addition to going to the September 21, council meeting, everyone can also send a letter or email such as the one below, to the San Mateo City Council. Please feel free to add your own comments to the letter below.

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 save affordable housing, and 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 SAMCOR, and the California Apartment Association (CAA), and their eviction-for profit-system.

Please do not collaborate with SAMCOR or 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 SAMCOR and 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 save affordable housing and end the eviction-for profit-system in San Mateo. This is the only way to keep our communities safe from SAMCOR, the CAA, and greedy landlords that jeopardizes neighborhood safety and our communities, with the eviction-for profit-system.

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

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

mfreschet [at] cityofsanmateo.org, jmatthews [at] cityofsanmateo.org, rbonilla [at] cityofsanmateo.org, jgoethals [at] cityofsanmateo.org, dlim [at] cityofsanmateo.org

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

>>>>>>