4/5 SF Bd of Supes Votes on Anti-Rent Control Condo Conversion

On April 5, 2005 at 10 a.m. (note early start), the Board of Supervisors will vote on an anti-rent control condominium conversion measure, Item 10 on the agenda, proposed by 3 good Democrats, Michela Alioto-Pier, Bevan Dufty and Sean Elsbernd. We need your phone calls & Emails opposing this now.

The April 5, 2005 agenda may be found at:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/bosagendas/a040505.htm

Item 10 reads as follows:
"Ordinance allowing owners of 2-6 unit buildings to convert the building into a condominium where the building was owned as a tenancy-in-common on January 20, 2005 and was 100% owner-occupied on January 20, 2005 and making environmental findings."

The San Francisco Tenant's Union describes this proposal as follows:
From http://www.sftu.org
"The Board of Supervisors will vote on legislation to let landlords who create TICs [tenancies-in-common] through the Ellis Act to automatically become condominium subdivisions—without having to follow the city's condo conversion law. The vote will be either on April 5. In addition to increasing the rate of Ellis evictions, the legislation will provide a simple way for landlords to REPEAL RENT CONTROL from buildings by use state law exempting condominiums from rent control. Dufty & Alioto-Pier also seek to EXEMPT TICs FROM EVICTION PROTECTIONS designed to limit the evictions of senior, disabled, or catastrophically ill tenants. Their legislation will encourage the use of the Ellis Act to create more Tics and condominiums."

Further explanation is provided in the Tenants Union's "Condo Lottery Exemption Fact Sheet" at http://www.sftu.org/TIC%20Fact%20Sheet.doc

The lunacy of this measure is political palm-greasing to the real estate lobby and must be defeated. Any attack on rent control threatens the entire rent control law which guarantees a stable home to most of the workingclass of San Francisco who are tenants, a labor force in San Francisco, and tenants to landlords whose buildings are not full due to the economic crisis.

There are already hundreds of empty condominiums in San Francisco, primarily in the South of Market area and the Van Ness corridor. Those people looking for a tax shelter, the reason one needs to buy a home, which in San Francisco requires an income of at least $120,000 a year which no worker makes, have plenty of opportunity to do so. This proposal will only increase the destruction of the labor force and affordable housing for that labor force in San Francisco. If you make less than $120,000 a year, this proposal is a disaster for you.

We need your phone calls, letters, faxes and Emails NOW. They all have voice mail so you can leave a message at any time. PLEASE CALL ALL 11. We must have 8 votes to defeat this measure now. Otherwise, 'mayor" Gavin Newsom, a good Democrat bought and paid for by the real estate interests opposed to all rent control, will sign it if it passes, and we will not be able to overturn his signature on a second round unless we have 8 votes. If you can, please also attend the Board meeting on April 5, 2005 at 10 a.m. (Note the early start to tihs Board meeting).

The street address for the Board of Supervisors is: CIty Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett, San Francisco, CA 94102. The phone numbers are in your San Francisco phone book and at:

From: http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=7271

Michela Alioto-Pier
District 2
(415) 554-7752
Michela.Alioto-Pier [at] sfgov.org

Tom Ammiano
District 9
(415) 554-5144
Tom.Ammiano [at] sfgov.org

Chris Daly
District 6
(415) 554-7970
Chris.Daly [at] sfgov.org

Bevan Dufty
District 8
(415) 554-6968
Bevan.Dufty [at] sfgov.org

Sean Elsbernd
District 7
(415) 554-6516
Sean.Elsbernd [at] sfgov.org

Fiona Ma
District 4
(415) 554-7460
Fiona.Ma [at] sfgov.org

Sophie Maxwell
District 10
(415) 554-7670
Sophie.Maxwell [at] sfgov.org

Jake McGoldrick
District 1
(415) 554-7410
Jake.McGoldrick [at] sfgov.org

Ross Mirkarimi
District 5
(415) 554-7630
Ross.Mirkarimi [at] sfgov.org

Aaron Peskin - Board President
District 3
(415) 554-7450
Aaron.Peskin [at] sfgov.org

Gerardo Sandoval
District 11
(415) 554-6975
Gerardo.Sandoval [at] sfgov.org