It was 20 years ago that the Coalition for Just Cause in Oakland was formed, holding their first meeting on January 29, 2000, in the basement of the downtown Oakland Public Library. Around 65 people showed up for that first meeting. An original flyer from that meeting urged people to join the “Just Cause Coalition” in putting just cause eviction protections on the November 2000 ballot. The meeting offered a lot of hope to the coalition of members and tenants that united to protect Oakland renters from greedy landlords and the notorious “eviction for profit” system that was rampant with no-cause evictions.

The first just cause eviction protection effort ran into a snag, failing to collect enough valid signatures to get it on the ballot due to an error made in the campaign. But, in 2002, a new just cause eviction protection campaign kicked off and Measure EE was passed by the voters that November in a narrow victory against landlords and realtors. Since then Oakland’s just cause eviction protections have worked to save tens of thousands of renters from no-cause evictions.

On January 1, 2010, Just Cause Oakland and St. Peters Housing Committee began a transition period to merge into what is now known as Causa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJC). The organization has successfully transitioned to do much more than being just being involved in tenant rights. In 2015, CJJC merged People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) into their organization, expanding their issue and geographic reach even further. With offices in East and West Oakland and in San Francisco’s Mission and Bayview neighborhoods, CJJC are "a force for justice and unity among Black and Brown communities."

Read More by Lynda Carson | Causa Justa :: Just Cause (CJJC)