Renter protections on the ballot in November to look for

Renter protections on the ballot in November to look for

By Lynda Carson - October 18, 2016

Oakland - The never ending struggle for renter protections continue, and in Oakland Measure JJ is on the ballot and will help to protect renters by strengthening existing renter protection laws.

If passed by the voters on November 8, Measure JJ will require landlords to petition with the Rent Board for rent increases that exceed the Consumer Price Index. Expand Just Cause eviction protections from the current cutoff date of October 1980 to buildings constructed through 1995. Expand the duties and powers of the Rent Board and Rent Adjustment Program to increase accountability and effectiveness in implementing tenant protections. In particular, the measure will require the creation of a "searchable data base", which will give tenant advocacy organizations better access to much needed data. Require annual notices of allowable rent increases. Keep the exemption for owner-occupied duplexes and triplexes. Voters are urged to vote on Measure JJ to help stabilize communities in Oakland, and slow down greedy landlords involved in price gouging and eviction-for-profit schemes.

In Alameda the struggle for renter protections has been fierce and it took more 7,300 registered voters to place Measure M1 on the November ballot. A massive grassroots effort took place to make this happen as a way to protect renters and families in Alameda from being displaced from their housing. If passed by the voters Measure M1 would provide sustainable rent adjustments and just-cause eviction protections to help stabilize communities in Alameda. In an effort to weaken the tenants movement in Alameda, and trick people into voting for a measure that fails to protect renters, three City Council members voted to put Measure L1 on the ballot in November. The Alameda Renters Coalition is urging voters to vote against Measure L1, and to vote for Measure M1 as the way to protect renters and stabilize communities in Alameda.

The struggle for renter protections in Richmond has been an epic battle against the lies and deceit of the California Apartment Association (CAA), and it’s corrupting influence on local politicians.

The California Apartment Association (CAA) is a wealthy organization that represents the interests of realtors, speculators and greedy landlords, not the tenants.

As recent as Thursday October 13, tenant activists around the Bay Area joined together outside the Hayward regional office of the California Apartment Association (CAA) to protest against the lies and deceit of the CAA being used to fight against renter protection ballot measures in the cities of Richmond, Alameda, San Mateo, Burlingame, and Mountain View. Reported by the New York Times, the activists also filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission against the CAA.

As the epic struggle continues in Richmond for renter protections, if passed by the voters on November 8, Measure L would protect renters with rent control and just cause eviction protections as a way to stabilize communities, and protect families from displacement. Activists are urging voters to vote on Measure L as a way to stop landlords involved in price gouging and eviction-for-profit schemes. Measure L makes the landlords accountable for their actions when engaging in price gouging. If passed by the voters in November, Measure L would help to stop the mass evictions taking place in Richmond that are being condoned by Mayor Tom Butt, and Councilmembers Nathaniel Bates and Vinay Pimplé.

In San Mateo, renters and activists collected more than 11,000 signatures to place a renter protection measure on the ballot for November 8 that includes rent control and just cause eviction protections. Activists are urging the voters in San Mateo to vote on Measure Q as a way to stabilize communities and protect families from displacement.

In the City of Mountain View renter protections are also on the ballot. Activists and renters are urging voters to vote on Measure V to protect over 14,000 households, including families, teachers and nurses from rent price gouging and eviction-for-profit schemes.

Renters and activists have also had a fierce battle in Burlingame over renter protections and activists are urging voters to vote for Measure R in November. If passed by the voters Measure R will provide rent stabilization and just cause eviction protections to help stabilize communities and protect families from displacement of their housing due to speculators, realtors, and greedy landlords. The City Council in Burlingame passed an initiative to trick voters into voting for a measure that does not protect the renters in that city, and activists are urging voters to vote for Measure R, and against the weak measure supported by city officials.

Public records reveal that realtors, speculators and wealthy greedy landlords are throwing tons of money at the California Apartment Association (CAA) in the effort to maintain their grip on the system that allows them to exploit renters to the maximum, and use renters in their eviction-for-profit schemes. Money that can be used in a campaign of lies and deceit against renter protection ballot measures around the Bay Area, because of a lack of laws protecting citizens against political campaigns that lie to the public.

Presently the California Apartment Association (CAA) is running attack ads against the renter protection ballot measures in the cities of Richmond, Alameda, Mountain View, San Mateo and Burlingame.

The CAA attack ad against Measure L in Richmond, uses lies and deceit by claiming that Measure L would require landlords to subsidize the renters. This is patently false. Measure L helps to stop the landlords from engaging in price gouging and blocks the landlords from engaging in the eviction-for-profit system. Measure L makes the landlords accountable for their actions when engaging in price gouging.

The same types of lies and deceit are reportedly being used by the CAA in all of the cities with renter protections on the ballot in the Bay Area, and there seems to be little that the public can do to stop the lies and deceit. More about the lies and deceit used by the CAA may be found at the website of Tenants Together, an organization that helps renters to organize for renter protections that would help to stabilize communities and protect families from displacement.

It was during 2015 that the CAA used signature gatherers that lied to the residents of Richmond to trick them into signing a petition that was used to block renter protections from going into effect. The signature gatherers misled many of the residents and told them the petition would strengthen renter protections. They were bold face lies. Recently, the City of Santa Rosa hired a special investigator to probe into voter fraud in a situation that appears very similar to what happened in Richmond in 2015.

Renter protections will be on the ballot in 6 cities during November in the Bay Area. No matter how hard the landlords and the California Apartment Association are trying to stop the renters movement, tenant advocates across the Bay Area are urging renters to vote on strong renter protections during the upcoming November elections in the cities of Richmond, Oakland, Alameda, Burlingame, San Mateo, and Mountain View. The activists are urging people to vote “no” against any weak proposals placed on the ballot by the City Council in Alameda, and Mountain View.

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

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