Feature Archives

On Thursday September 25th, protests took place around the United States to oppose the proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street firms. In the Bay Area, protests were held in San Francisco, San Mateo, Palo Alto, and San Jose. The SF Labor Council has also come out strongly against the bailout.

On Sept. 26th and 27th, members of United Healthcare Workers West (UHW) will protest in San Mateo against an attempt by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) leadership to take over their local. SEIU President Andy Stern has called for a hearing at the San Mateo Events Center that could put the 150,000-member local under trusteeship. UHW supporters are condemning the move as an attempt to silence dissent and stifle union democracy.

A San Mateo County Superior Court Judge ruled on September 5th that East Palo Alto is entitled to crucial evidence they need in their fight against Page Mill Properties. This win for renters comes on top of a Rent Stabilization Board Hearing on August 27 that found in favor of the tenants.

On September 2nd, tenants supported by rent control activists from Youth United for Community Action and the Raging Grannies demonstrated their displeasure with Page Mill's continued legal attempts to flout the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, staging a sit-in and street demonstration at the landlord's office.

East Palo Alto's rent stabilization program, established by voters in the early 1980's, was designed to help tenants know the maximum their future rent increases could be, and enable them to plan family budgets with a measure of certainty. But in 2005 Page Mill Properties started to buy up residences on East Palo Alto's west side and disputes first with tenants and then with the city brewed. Apartment residents are now seeing multiple rent hikes in a year, often in the range of 30 to 40%. One group of tenants has particular reason to be outraged. Many East Palo Alto residents are public employees and their retirement system, CalPERS, has Page Mill Properties in its portfolio of investments. CalPERS is the pension fund for California public employees and is one of the largest financial institutions in the US.

The Fair Rent Now Coalition held a petition drive on Saturday, July 26th, to protest rent increases at apartments owned by Page Mill Properties. The increases affect about 1,300 of the private investment firm's 1,650 units in East Palo Alto. A class action suit was filed by residents on July 15, and the city of East Palo Alto has taken legal action against the private investment firm.

Palo Alto residents and San Francisco Peninsula bike commuters are challenging Santa Clara County's plan to widen Middlefield Rd. near Oregon Expressway. Proposed alterations to the road call for removing the trees and resident-created green strip gardens between the sidewalk and traffic lanes. This will eliminate the buffer between cars and pedestrians now enjoyed by neighborhood walkers and students commuting to Jordan Middle School.

Within weeks of forming a union, employees of Bay Area News Group were shocked at the seemingly retaliatory firings of at least 20 journalists who had worked to form the East Bay bargaining unit. Last week, the Northern California Media Workers Guild filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The 230-member Bay Area News Group East Bay bargaining unit includes the Oakland Tribune and other East Bay papers, as well as the San Mateo County Times on the peninsula.