Oakland renters have been facing nearly 1,000 evictions per month for at least the last three years. Oakland rents likewise have skyrocketed and the median rent is currently $3,000 per month. The housing crisis in Oakland has become so severe that the city is listed as number five across the nation with the highest rents for one-bedroom apartments, the median now being $2,200. Housing activists have responded by pushing for a temporary freeze on evictions and rent hikes to protect tenants from the massive upheaval.

Hundreds of tenants and dozens of landlords spoke out for and against a proposed housing emergency moratorium at the City Council meeting on April 5. Shortly after midnight on April 6, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to support a 90-day moratorium on rent increases, but failed to pass a temporary freeze on evictions, as was proposed in an original version of the ordinance. During the time of the moratorium, it is illegal for landlords to raise rents above 1.7 percent unless the landlord files for a “fair return” increase with the city’s Rent Adjustment Program. Under the emergency ordinance, the city’s “Just Cause for Eviction” law, enacted by ballot, remains unchanged. A “Notice to Vacate” that does not list a specific and justifiable “just cause” is invalid.

The Housing State of Emergency went into effect immediately upon its passage. All owners and renters should receive a letter from the city within the next few weeks detailing their rights and duties during the 90-day period. In the interim, housing activists intend to continue to fight on two fronts, by further pressuring the City Council and by gathering signatures for the Renters Upgrade ballot measure.

Oakland City Council approves 90 day moratorium on rent increases | April 5 Oakland City Council: Oakland Declaration of Housing State of Emergency | What Housing Moratorium Means for Oakland’s Tenants and Landlords | Oakland’s brutal eviction for profit system must end | A young man's housing battle against Landlords in a growing Bay Area housing crisis

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