Eviction notice rescinded for tenants at 526 and 528 California Avenue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT: Press Conference on Rescinding of 526 and 528 California Avenue Tenants Eviction
WHERE: 528 California Avenue
WHEN: October 15, 10:00am
WHO: California Avenue Tenants Union and Campaign for Measure M

Tenants at 528 California Avenue and volunteers with the campaign for Measure M will hold a press conference on Monday, October 15 and 10:00am to discuss the status of their eviction case. They will present their current situation, talk about how they are currently protected by the city's temporary Just Cause for Eviction law, and present the importance of voting Yes on Measure M to protect low-income, vulnerable renters throughout Santa Cruz.

After Dan Decker recently purchased the apartment building at 526 and 528 California Avenue, he served tenants there with notices to quit the property. Many of the tenants are elders, military veterans, and have serious medical issues or mobility limitations. Albert Brett, in particular, suffers from pancreatic cancer and is currently in treatment for it.

These tenants would have enormous difficulty finding new homes if forced to move, because of their disabilities and income status. Albert lives with Donna Robles who, like him, uses a walker to get around. Their neighbor Logan also relies on a walker. As such, they all need accessible home environments either on the ground floor or with a functioning elevator - a limit to their choices should they be forced out of their homes on California Avenue. With regards to income, Albert and Donna rely on HUD/VASH rental assistance provided by the Veterans Administration. Very few landlords in Santa Cruz county accept rental vouchers, which further limits these tenants' choices in the housing search. Luckily for them, the temporary Just Cause for Eviction law passed by City Council in February means the notices to quit they were given are illegal. There is some concern that the landlord discriminated against the tenants he served notices to based on age and disability status.

Decker's arbitrary and discriminatory attempt at evicting his tenants would push out low-income, disabled elders in favor of other tenants who can pay the outrageous prices he would like to charge. While Albert and Donna pay affordable portions of their incomes - supplemented by HUD/VASH - their upstairs neighbors pay close to $3000 for a two bedroom apartment. They fear that their new landlord's plan is part of what Albert calls "a wave of money coming over the hill" from Silicon Valley, fueling speculative investment in rental housing and driving rents up beyond what poor and working people in Santa Cruz can afford.