Oakland tenants harassed over $2.5 million renovation scheme

Oakland tenants harassed over $2.5 million renovation scheme

By Lynda Carson - July 28, 2011

Oakland -- On July 7, 2011 the tenants at 829 E. 19th St., had their water shut off for hours after contractors finally began work on a $2.5 million renovation scheme meant to enrich the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) by as much $105,000 or more, just in developers fees alone.

The $2.5 million massive renovation scheme that threatens tenants with displacement is known as the Effie's House Project, and EBALDC is one of Oakland's largest non profit housing developers with well over 1,000 residential rental units.

EBALDC hired AmOne Corporation (general contractor) out of San Francisco for the $2.5 million renovation scheme. AmOne Corporation is a California corporation controlled by Alphonse Jun Wu and She Zhuang Lin, entity number C20232750, contractors license number CA 743360. Workers from AmOne Corporation were seen on July 27, 2011 at the Effie's House Project slipping notices under the tenant's doors.

Tenants have been receiving notices, calls, and knocks at their doors by the building management in the effort to pressure the tenants into going along with the $2.5 million renovation scheme unfolding at the property, and as recent as July 19, 2011 the building manager Danny Chen passed around faulty "on or about" notices pressuring the residents into giving up their rights to privacy, in the effort to rush the construction workers into the low-income tenant's apartments. The tenants could not tell from the faulty notices what day the building management actually planned to enter their apartments with the construction workers.

For those sleeping in the day time, those feeling ill, or working on their computers, taking showers, cooking or entertaining guests, it was an extreme form of harassment to be pressured into letting construction workers into their homes on a date uncertain. For others, some tenants decided to exert their rights to protect their privacy pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1954, and challenged the bogus "on or about" notices being used by EBALDC management to unlawfully enter the residents homes.

Additionally, during the past 14 months the low-income residents at the east Oakland residential building were served 3 different bogus notices listing a number of major renovations that were scheduled to begin in their building that never materialized, leaving the tenants feeling harassed, pressured and stressed by the notices that threatened them with being blocked from using the front door to the building, construction workers entering their homes, loss of privacy, removal of much needed trash chutes in the building, the spread of toxic lead paint dust, excessive noise, and construction debris and equipment scattered in the hallways.

Eventually the tenants received an additional notice of renovations to begin in front of the building on July 7, 2011 where the front yard was dug up, and the building water was turned off while plumbers installed around 7 feet of large copper pipe jutting 2 foot out of the ground, being a possible new target for any copper thieves that may be working in the area.

The 21 unit residential building at 829 E. 19th St., is owned and operated by EBALDC, and on March 16, 2010 Oakland's City Council voted to loan EBALDC a total of $2,517,000 to renovate the building. With only 21 rental units, that works out to be around $120,000 per unit, including 10 one bedroom apartments, and 11 studio apartments. In 1997, EBALDC payed around $461,000 for the 21 unit building, and according to the Alameda County Tax Assessor's Office the total taxable value for the property is currently around $581,908.

Tenants Face Displacement From Their Housing

During a November 3, 2008 Central City East Project Area Committee meeting, Mary-Lucero Dorst of EBALDC told the committee members that Effie's House has 21 units and houses low-income residents earning incomes ranging from $10,000 to $53,000, with only two of their residents at that time earning more than $40,000 a year. During a question and answer session about the Effie's House Project while Mary-Lucero Dorst was seeking support from the committee members for a loan to renovate the building, Dorst stated that all the residents would eventually have to be relocated because of the massive renovation scheme that she was proposing.

Additionally, during a December 10, 2008 West Oakland Project Area Committee meeting where EBALDC's Ms. Dorst was also seeking additional support for the loan to renovate Effie's House, committee member Bari Scott noted that the loan Dorst was seeking allows for an administrative fee of $5,000 per unit for up to $150,000 per property, and committee member Elise Evans noted that Dorst would be seeking loans for at least 6 other projects from the City of Oakland, at that time.

The low-income residents at Effie's House are concerned that they will be stuck paying off the $2.5 million loan in the form of higher rents, and are outraged that EBALDC plans to skim around $105,000 from the $2.5 million loan in what is called administrative or developers fees.

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


Note: Lynda Carson is a long time resident at Effie's House.


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http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/06/19/18682371.php