top
North Bay
North Bay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Registrar of voters allegedly certified petition blocking Richmond’s renter protections

by Lynda Carson (tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com)
Now the CAA and it’s 13,000 members are targeting numerous council members and are meddling in the affairs of 4 other Northern California cities, in an effort to block renter protections from taking effect. Those cities include San Jose, Santa Rosa, Mountain View, and San Mateo. Additionally, renters in Healdsburg have also been pushing for renter protections in their city!
Registrar of voters allegedly certified petition blocking Richmond’s renter protections

By Lynda Carson - October 15, 2015

Richmond - According to the California Apartment Association on Oct. 15, earlier this week Contra Costa County’s registrar of voters certified the California Apartment Association’s (CAA) despicable petition/referendum in Richmond that many were tricked into signing by signature gatherers who stated that the petition would make rent control stronger. The petition actually blocked renter protections from going into effect.

Click on link below for more about the petition people were tricked into signing…

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/10/06/18778507.php

Messages to two Richmond City Council members and Contra Costa County officials asking about the status of the petition have not yet been returned, and they have not yet verified the claims of the CAA. However, it is unlikely the CAA would make such a claim if they did not get a confirmation.

Now the CAA and it’s 13,000 members are targeting numerous council members and are meddling in the affairs of 4 other Northern California cities, in an effort to block renter protections from taking effect. Those cities include San Jose, Santa Rosa, Mountain View, and San Mateo. Additionally, renters in Healdsburg have also been pushing for renter protections in their city.

In San Mateo during September, the CAA targeted 2 council members for supporting rent control and just cause eviction proposals for that city. As a result of the CAA meddling in their affairs, the Mayor and City Council decided to go against any sensible renter protections that would protect it’s citizens, including the working class, and school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city workers, union members, veterans, the elderly, disabled, tenant activists, and families with children from greedy landlords and realtors involved in the eviction-for profit-system.

In San Jose, it’s rent control advisory committee is meeting on Saturday morning Oct. 17, to discuss a proposal to reduce the current 8 percent maximum allowable rent increase, to a more reasonable 2 percent increase annually.

In Mountain View, on Monday Oct. 19, the City Council is considering renter protections, including rent control, and just cause eviction protections, and will discuss both policies.

On Tuesday Oct. 20, the Santa Rosa City Council is expected to approve a plan to study whether rent control is an option to address the eviction crisis and rental crisis due to extremely high rents in that city.

In Santa Rosa, citizens including the working class, and school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city workers, union members, veterans, the elderly, disabled, tenant activists, and families with children are urging the City Council to pass a rent control ordinance that includes protection for Section 8 voucher holders from discrimination.

Additionally, during 2015 over 700 families were displaced by no-cause evictions in San Mateo, that can be verified by an attorney. The rising rents and no-cause evictions in San Mateo, have created an unrelenting housing crisis for renters throughout the city, that can be address with renter protections, including rent control, and just cause eviction protections.

A letter to the San Mateo City Council from attorney Daniel Saver of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto describes the eviction crisis. The letter was prepared and submitted as a resource for the Council in advance of a September 21 public hearing on the housing crisis that occurred.

In brief, Mr. Saver discloses that during 2015 over 700 families have been displaced by no-cause evictions in San Mateo. Mr. Saver writes: “The data presented in my letter demonstrate that the rental housing market in San Mateo is fundamentally broken and that the consequent displacement epidemic is rupturing the social fabric of the local community. Middle and working class families are bearing the brunt of this market failure, and we urge the Council to consider the full spectrum of renter protections that can provide immediate and effective relief to the community.”

Safe Harbor Shelter is a 90 bed emergency shelter in San Mateo County, and it does not have enough beds for the homeless in San Mateo County being evicted from their housing, especially when considering how fast the rents are increasing in San Mateo County because of the heartless greedy landlords and the members of the CAA, and SAMCAR, involved in the eviction-for profit-system.

As reported in The Daily Journal: Rent increased $227 during the 4th quarter in the past year, leaping to $2,572 (according to Real Answers, a group compiling apartment data). “During the fourth quarter in San Mateo, studio apartments increased by an average of $193 from last year, to $1,762 per month, marking a 12.3 percent increase. One-bedroom apartments with one bathroom increased by 10.3 percent on average to $2,332 per month, up $218 from 2013. And two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments increased $181 per month, to $2,593, a 7.5 percent increase from the previous year, according to the report.”

If that is not enough to make people scream, some renters faced rent increases of $600 during the past year, according to Josh Hugg, the program manager at the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, according to The Daily Journal.

In Richmond, now that the CAA has meddled in the affairs of city government by blocking renter protections from going into effect on September 4, with their despicable petition people were tricked into signing, it will be up to the City Council to either repeal the renter protection ordinance, or bring the renter protections to a vote.

Meanwhile, thousands of Richmond renters including the working class, and school teachers, construction workers, store clerks, city workers, union members, veterans, the elderly, disabled, tenant activists, and families with children are left wide open to the abuse of greedy landlords, and realtors involved in the eviction-for profit-system.

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

>>>>>>>
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Lynda Carson
Received October 16, from Scott O. Konopasek, Assistant County Registrar

See Below...

(LC)

The petition and the results of our verification was sent to the City on October 9th. The results appear sufficient to qualify but that determination is made by the City.

Any further information must come from the City.

Scott O. Konopasek
Assistant County Registrar

>>>>>>>
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network