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Prejudice and greed fuels Oakland's condo-conversion proposal
Oakland's City Officials Place Thousands Of Renters At Risk Of Homelessness, With Plan To Convert Oakland's Rental Housing Stock Into Pricey Condominiums!
Prejudice and greed fuels Oakland's condo-conversion proposal
By Lynda Carson November 19, 2006
Prejudice and greed are fueling the latest drive to kill Oakland's condo-conversion protections, and it has Oakland renters very concerned.
In a false hope to offer home ownership to Oakland renters, which would saddle them with drowning debt and foreclosures, a newly proposed ordinance moves forward through Oakland City Hall, which would end the requirement that any conversion of four or more rental units into condominiums in the city, must be alleviated by the development of new rental housing units, to replace the ones being converted into condos.
The newly proposed ordinance would end over 20 years of housing protections to Oakland's renters, would fuel mass evictions, and according to Oakland's Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA), 90% of Oakland renters would not be able to afford any of the pricey $350,000 - $400,000 condo-conversions.
During the past year, rent hikes in Santa Clara County shot up an average 10.4 percent, after the recent gold rush of condo-conversions resulted in the rental housing market being undersupplied in their communities, and Oakland renters already know what is in store for them, if the condo-conversion proposal passes here.
With the realty market in a crash from the housing boom bust, and foreclosures hitting an all time high in California and actually doubling in some states during the past year, Councilmember's Brooks, Chang and De la Fuente, have teamed up with local speculators in an effort to sell off Oakland's rental housing stock, to the highest bidders.
Outraged by the incessant selfish and un-christian actions of a city hellbent on dumping it's low-income communities from it's borders, Oakland tenants and their advocates including the East Bay Community Law Center and ACCORN, have united to speak-out agianst the push to steal the rental housing units from under the feet of Oakland's renters.
Despite a huge turn-out in opposition to the proposed ordinance during a recent November 15, CEDA meeting, the committee members voted in favor of passing the condo-conversion proposal to the Oakland City Council for a full vote. The proposal will return before the CEDA committee one last time on Nov. 28, for a discussion about possible amendments, before heading to the full City Council meetings scheduled for Dec. 5, and Dec. 19.
Gracy Jones of the East Bay Community Law Center says, "Oakland's landlords are already threatening tenants with 5 Day Notices if the tenant fails to sign a contract supporting the landlord's efforts to convert the rental unit to a condominimum, and we want Oakland renters to contact us first, before signing anything."
Measure EE, Oakland's Just Cause anti-eviction ordinance, states that tenants do not have to sign a new contract that materially changes their existing rental contracts.
Members of Just Cause Oakland, the Oakland Tenant's Union and California Housing Law Project have argued against the condo-conversion proposal because it has not been adequately studied to determine the negative impacts upon Oakland's vulnerable low-income communities.
As recently as Saturday Nov. 18, around 40 renters and their advocates held a rally downtown Oakland, at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza Courtyard, which included Councilmembers Nancy Nadel and Jean Quan, and longtime tenant advocate James Vann.
"We were happy to see somewhere between 30 to 40 people turn out for our rally, because it was put together in such short notice," said James Vann of the Oakland Tenant's Union. "This condo-conversion proposal is a diabolical scheme involving 3 councilmembers who consistantly serve the interests of greedy developers, landlords and realtors, who plan to profit from the displacement of thousands of low-income people from the City of Oakland."
The proposed ordinance being rushed to the full City Council calls for 800 to 1,500 condo-conversions per year to occur if approved, and with only a 2.7% vacancy rate in Oakland, it will force up the rents on existing rental units, placing thousands more of Oakland renters at risk of homelessness.
The proposal's backers hope to have a done deal by Christmas, before the new Mayor elect Ron Dellums gets into office Jan. 1, while Mayor Jerry Brown may still weigh in to support this hideous proposal if it flounders along the way.
Tenant organizers are urging everyone to oppose the drive to convert Oakland's rental housing stock into condominiums, and are asking tenants to appear at the following meetings at Oakland's City Hall, on Nov. 28 (4pm CEDA meeting), Dec. 5 and Dec .19, 7-pm City Council meetings. Show up early, to sign up as speakers against the proposal.
Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com
By Lynda Carson November 19, 2006
Prejudice and greed are fueling the latest drive to kill Oakland's condo-conversion protections, and it has Oakland renters very concerned.
In a false hope to offer home ownership to Oakland renters, which would saddle them with drowning debt and foreclosures, a newly proposed ordinance moves forward through Oakland City Hall, which would end the requirement that any conversion of four or more rental units into condominiums in the city, must be alleviated by the development of new rental housing units, to replace the ones being converted into condos.
The newly proposed ordinance would end over 20 years of housing protections to Oakland's renters, would fuel mass evictions, and according to Oakland's Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA), 90% of Oakland renters would not be able to afford any of the pricey $350,000 - $400,000 condo-conversions.
During the past year, rent hikes in Santa Clara County shot up an average 10.4 percent, after the recent gold rush of condo-conversions resulted in the rental housing market being undersupplied in their communities, and Oakland renters already know what is in store for them, if the condo-conversion proposal passes here.
With the realty market in a crash from the housing boom bust, and foreclosures hitting an all time high in California and actually doubling in some states during the past year, Councilmember's Brooks, Chang and De la Fuente, have teamed up with local speculators in an effort to sell off Oakland's rental housing stock, to the highest bidders.
Outraged by the incessant selfish and un-christian actions of a city hellbent on dumping it's low-income communities from it's borders, Oakland tenants and their advocates including the East Bay Community Law Center and ACCORN, have united to speak-out agianst the push to steal the rental housing units from under the feet of Oakland's renters.
Despite a huge turn-out in opposition to the proposed ordinance during a recent November 15, CEDA meeting, the committee members voted in favor of passing the condo-conversion proposal to the Oakland City Council for a full vote. The proposal will return before the CEDA committee one last time on Nov. 28, for a discussion about possible amendments, before heading to the full City Council meetings scheduled for Dec. 5, and Dec. 19.
Gracy Jones of the East Bay Community Law Center says, "Oakland's landlords are already threatening tenants with 5 Day Notices if the tenant fails to sign a contract supporting the landlord's efforts to convert the rental unit to a condominimum, and we want Oakland renters to contact us first, before signing anything."
Measure EE, Oakland's Just Cause anti-eviction ordinance, states that tenants do not have to sign a new contract that materially changes their existing rental contracts.
Members of Just Cause Oakland, the Oakland Tenant's Union and California Housing Law Project have argued against the condo-conversion proposal because it has not been adequately studied to determine the negative impacts upon Oakland's vulnerable low-income communities.
As recently as Saturday Nov. 18, around 40 renters and their advocates held a rally downtown Oakland, at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza Courtyard, which included Councilmembers Nancy Nadel and Jean Quan, and longtime tenant advocate James Vann.
"We were happy to see somewhere between 30 to 40 people turn out for our rally, because it was put together in such short notice," said James Vann of the Oakland Tenant's Union. "This condo-conversion proposal is a diabolical scheme involving 3 councilmembers who consistantly serve the interests of greedy developers, landlords and realtors, who plan to profit from the displacement of thousands of low-income people from the City of Oakland."
The proposed ordinance being rushed to the full City Council calls for 800 to 1,500 condo-conversions per year to occur if approved, and with only a 2.7% vacancy rate in Oakland, it will force up the rents on existing rental units, placing thousands more of Oakland renters at risk of homelessness.
The proposal's backers hope to have a done deal by Christmas, before the new Mayor elect Ron Dellums gets into office Jan. 1, while Mayor Jerry Brown may still weigh in to support this hideous proposal if it flounders along the way.
Tenant organizers are urging everyone to oppose the drive to convert Oakland's rental housing stock into condominiums, and are asking tenants to appear at the following meetings at Oakland's City Hall, on Nov. 28 (4pm CEDA meeting), Dec. 5 and Dec .19, 7-pm City Council meetings. Show up early, to sign up as speakers against the proposal.
Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com
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This proposal would convert 800 units a year, about double what are being converted now. That would be 9% of the rental stock over 10 years, so, even if your low estimate of only 10% of renters being able to afford condos is true, the proposal is well-targeted. This has nothing to do with low-income people; the apartments that would be converted would be higher-end rental properties. All this anger and communist rhetoric is totally inappropriate for policy discussion.
Also, there is no hidden agenda to do this before Dellums becomes mayor - in fact, this was proposed by Councilmember Desley Brooks, who is Dellums' only ally on the Council (Nadel and Quan opposed him). Supporters are expecting a 6-2 vote, which means that mayoral input isn't even necessary (he can only break tie votes).
Also, there is no hidden agenda to do this before Dellums becomes mayor - in fact, this was proposed by Councilmember Desley Brooks, who is Dellums' only ally on the Council (Nadel and Quan opposed him). Supporters are expecting a 6-2 vote, which means that mayoral input isn't even necessary (he can only break tie votes).
Um, you're lying. The proposal has been revised with a cap of 800 units per year, so it isn't 800 to 1500. At most, it will be 800. Also, if 10% of Oakland renters can buy a home, and this proposal will convert 9% of rental units to condos over 10 years, where's the problem?
A condo conversion is the only way I'll ever be able to afford a home of my own in this city, they are much much cheaper than the new construction condos, but there are very few of them right now. I wanted to buy a place at this conversion on Fairmount, but they sold way too quickly. There is a lot of demand for this.
A condo conversion is the only way I'll ever be able to afford a home of my own in this city, they are much much cheaper than the new construction condos, but there are very few of them right now. I wanted to buy a place at this conversion on Fairmount, but they sold way too quickly. There is a lot of demand for this.
A Sucker Born Every Moment!
The above shills for the realtors are trying to find more suckers to go into debt for the capitalists behind this hustle!
No To The Condo-Conversion Scam!
The above shills for the realtors are trying to find more suckers to go into debt for the capitalists behind this hustle!
No To The Condo-Conversion Scam!
No wonder tenant activists are ignored by the council and can't win elections (their favorite candidate, Aimee Allison, was resoundingly defeated in Oakland's most liberal council district) - they resort to namecalling, and are completely ignorant of the substance of proposals. I am not a realtor, and I know a TON of renters who are really excited about the idea of owning their apartments. What you call "going into debt" other people call "homeownership," and they want it.
The proposal would:
- Convert fewer than 1% of Oakland's apartments a year
- Triple affordable housing funds
- Create a market of lower-cost condos
- End pay-offs to developers for conversions
- Protect tenants with generous relocation packages and lifetime leases for seniors
Nobody is making any rational arguments against it. Just Cause and their ilk represent nobody, and have no idea about what's going on. It's ironic that they chose the Chinatown condos, a site of recent evictions, for their rally; had Oakland had the increase in housing funds this proposal will provide, we could have bought the subsidized condos and nobody would have been evicted.
The proposal would:
- Convert fewer than 1% of Oakland's apartments a year
- Triple affordable housing funds
- Create a market of lower-cost condos
- End pay-offs to developers for conversions
- Protect tenants with generous relocation packages and lifetime leases for seniors
Nobody is making any rational arguments against it. Just Cause and their ilk represent nobody, and have no idea about what's going on. It's ironic that they chose the Chinatown condos, a site of recent evictions, for their rally; had Oakland had the increase in housing funds this proposal will provide, we could have bought the subsidized condos and nobody would have been evicted.
For more information:
http://dellums.blogspot.com
So, the truth comes out.
We have a shifty Realtor pushing the condo-conversion disaster and stalking this thread.
1) The condo-conversion drive is a scheme to enrich realtors, not create more housing.
2) Selling off Oakland's rental housing stock, will only increase the rents for all the other renters.
3) With the housing market in a tailspin, the Realtors are looking for more suckers to fill the void, to buy some over-valued condo-conversion that will not be required to retrofitted for earthquakes.
4) Making thousands more people homeless in the name of home ownership, is what this is all about, and that is why the Realtors are trying to shut off debate as soon as possible.
5) Realtors do not create more housing, they do not repair our housing, and they are not part of the working class who even build our housing.
Realtors are the shifty eyed hucksters who exploit the workers, evict the families from their rental housing before it's to be sold, and will sell anything to make a buck, because they are not smart enough to know how do do anything else.
The Realtors are behind this dirty scheme to sell off Oakland's rental housing stock to make a profit, not the renters!
No to this condo-conversion scheme, and no to the realtors anxious to make more people homeless, in the name of making a buck!
We have a shifty Realtor pushing the condo-conversion disaster and stalking this thread.
1) The condo-conversion drive is a scheme to enrich realtors, not create more housing.
2) Selling off Oakland's rental housing stock, will only increase the rents for all the other renters.
3) With the housing market in a tailspin, the Realtors are looking for more suckers to fill the void, to buy some over-valued condo-conversion that will not be required to retrofitted for earthquakes.
4) Making thousands more people homeless in the name of home ownership, is what this is all about, and that is why the Realtors are trying to shut off debate as soon as possible.
5) Realtors do not create more housing, they do not repair our housing, and they are not part of the working class who even build our housing.
Realtors are the shifty eyed hucksters who exploit the workers, evict the families from their rental housing before it's to be sold, and will sell anything to make a buck, because they are not smart enough to know how do do anything else.
The Realtors are behind this dirty scheme to sell off Oakland's rental housing stock to make a profit, not the renters!
No to this condo-conversion scheme, and no to the realtors anxious to make more people homeless, in the name of making a buck!
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