Wrongfully Dismissed Rent Board Commissioner Sues Mayor Jerry Brown

Wrongfully Dismissed Rent Board Commissioner Sues Mayor Jerry Brown
By Lynda Carson 08/17/01

Oakland, Ca-People who live in Oakland know that the Rent Wars are far from over, no matter how much Greg McConnal (landlord lobby) claims that theres a
consensus between renters and landlords going on. The rent wars spilled over into Superior Court of Alameda County on August 17, with a law suit filed against Jerry Brown and the City of Oakland, over the wrongfull dismissal of
pro-tenant Rent Board Commissioner, Andrew Wolff. Allegedly, it was Oaklands Landlord Lobby that pressured the Mayors Office into dismissing Commissioner Wolff before his term expired, and documents from Councilman Dick Spees Task Force reveal that the intent of their focus was to \"FIX\" the Rent Board.

The Task Force was created by Dick Spees, landlords, realtors, lobbyists of the Oakland Association of Realtors, and the Rental Housing Association. Tenant Activists were duped into joining the Landlord Industry/Task Force after the fact in a scheme promoting the landlord agenda, to raise the rents and increase the speed in which rent increases could occur through the Rent Board Hearings.
For years, Commissioner Wolff was a deterrent to rent increases, and became a target of the Land Barons.

Case No: 2001-20532d; the suit against Jerry Brown, seeks to over-turn the
dismissal of Commissioner Wolff from the Rent Board, and to return his full rights and priveleges as a member of the board. Defendants listed on the \"Summons\" are; Jerry Brown, Rebecca Eisen, Kathryn Kasch, The City of Oakland, and The Oakland Housing Residential Rent and Relocation Board. The defendants have 30 Days after being served the summons to file a typewritten responce to the court.

Protests have been planned to take place at Oakland City Hall for the scheduled re-opening of the Rent Board on Thursday August 23 at 6:30 P.M., and a rally in support of Commissioner Wolff shall take place. Protest/Rally is located at City Hall, corner of 14th and Broaday, near the 12th St Bart Station, of Oakland. Your invited! Bring your friends...

During a discussion on August 17, with Justin Horner, an Aide to Mayor Jerry Brown, Horner was not aware of the law suit, but did his best to defend the Mayors position in dismissing Wolff. Mr. Horner avoided discussion of the Oakland City Charter, which requires Commissioners to receive a Hearing, and a Council Vote to remove appointed Commissioners before their terms expire. Mr. Horner instead kept trying to focus on a legal opinion that the City Attorney-John Russo wrote after the wrongfull dismissal of Wolff occured. The legal opinion was intended to offer the Mayor some cover after the fact, but did little to stop the rebellion of critics and their letter writing campaign demanding that the Mayor re-instate Wolff immediately. Mr. Horner went on to state that the new appointee of the Mayor (Ahmad Mansur) who is to replace Commissioner Wolff has been seeking a position on ANY of the various Boards or Commissions of Oakland, and finally landed at the Rent Board. This was not a very reassuring gesture of the Mayors Office to reveal how the new appointee was selected with no background at all in knowing Oaklands rent law Ordinance\'. Two other appointees on the Rent Board were lobbyists from the landlord lobby, and definitly know why they are on the Rent Board.

The Mayor himself could not be reached for comment, and is vacationing in
Italy, as the rent wars continue to heat up in Oakland.

Aides to the Mayor have been scrambling to silence the critics of Jerry Brown
ever since the Rent Board was shut down July 26, when Commissioner Wolff refused to accept the July 24 faxed dismissal letter from Jerry Brown as being legal. A copy of a letter dated August 17 to Mayor Jerry Brown from Anne Omura of the Eviction Defense Center, charges harassment by the Mayors Office. Allegedly, a man identified himself as John Betterton, aide to Mayor Jerry Brown; called the offices of the Eviction Defense Center to berate Anne Omura over a recent letter she wrote to the Mayor in support of Commissioner Wolff. Omura charges that the Mayors Office smack\'s of using gestapo tactics in trying to silence his critics, and alleges that Betterton was screaming, very angry, abusive during the call, and did not allow Omura to communicate with him. Ms. Omura was forced to hang up on Betterton, and believes that this attempt to harass and intimidate her for expressing an opinion contrary to the politics or policies of the Mayors Office is inexcusable. Omura goes on to state that; You cannot storng-arm people into silence, and dispatching someone to verbally attack a person who disagrees with you smacks of gestapo tactics.

Anne Omura of the Eviction Defense Center is a staunch defender of the victims
of the eviction for profit system in Oakland, and was wise enough to walk-out of Councilman Spees Task Force recently. She has been a thorn in the side of the Oakland Association of Realtors, and the Rental Housing Association over the
eviction for profit system. The landlords have wanted to shut down these activists for a long time. The Eviction Defense Center also won the suit in the 9th Circuit Court during the past year against the 1 Strike Policy of the Federal Government regarding Public Housing Tenants, and may soon face the cronies of George Bush in the Supreme Court. Donations to help out this fine group of Tenant Right\'s Activists may be sent to;

Eviction Defense Center
1611 Telegraph Ave.,Suite 726
Oakland,Ca 94612

For another look at the Mayors schemes to gentrify Oakland one way or another, Terry Messman of Street Spirit wrote a very disturbing article that
may be found if you click below.

A Blue Print For Dislocation-By Terry Messman

http://www.sf.indymedia.org/housing/media.php3?p=6