Protest To Stop Evictions By UC Berkeley

Tenants At 1921 Walnut St., Berkeley Are Facing Displacement In The Midst Of The Deadly Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic

Protest on Monday Aug. 3 in Oakland

By Lynda Carson - July 30, 2020

The tenants at 1921 Walnut St., Berkeley are going to have a protest on Monday Aug. 3, at 4:00PM, in front of the building of the UC Regents’ Office at 1111 Franklin St., downtown Oakland.

The tenants at 1921 Walnut St., have created a website that may be reached by clicking here, and they also have a Twitter account https://twitter.com/save1921walnut .

According to the tenants at 1921 Walnut St., it is evident that the Regents of UC Berkeley have enlisted the wealthy landlord and heiress Jackie Safier to assist in the redevelopment of 1921 Walnut St., in Berkeley.

The proposed redevelopment project threatens the existing tenants at 1921 Walnut St., with displacement and homelessness during the midst of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in over 50 million people being unemployed, and over 30 million Americans facing hunger due to not being able to afford some groceries.

That’s right. In the midst of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic that has also killed over 150,000 Americans, Jaclyn Safier, CEO of Prometheus Real Estate Group, is engaged in a proposed demolition project with the Regents at Cal Berkeley to displace the long-time residents from their four story building at 1921 Walnut St., in Berkeley, in an effort to replace 1921 Walnut St., with a new housing project for Cal Berkeley students.

According to public records, Jaclyn Safier, the CEO of the Prometheus Real Estate Group, resides in a luxurious home in San Francisco valued at a whopping $14,808,755, and has been sued for exposing some tenants to asbestos, in addition to being involved in numerous projects that have displaced the residents from their housing.

The notorious Prometheus Real Estate Group has also spent a fortune to oppose reasonable rent control initiatives and measures in California, and has been sued in class action lawsuits, in addition to being sued for discrimination against the disabled.

It is not unreasonable of the tenants at 1921 Walnut St., to be concerned about their situation, that motivates them to fight back against the proposed redevelopment project of their long-time housing involving the Regents and Jaclyn Safier of the notorious Prometheus real estate group.

For more from the tenants at 1921 Walnut St., see their press release further below....

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

Press Release from the tenants at 1921 Walnut St:

From: 1921 Walnut St. Association in Downtown Berkeley, and ally organizations

To: Bay Area Media

When: 4:00 pm Monday, August 3, 2020

Where: 1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA: OUTSIDE in front of the building

What: Protest To Stop Evictions – Second Protest


On July 15, 2020, The University of California officially became the new landlord of the long-term/rent-controlled tenants at 1921 Walnut St., despite objections from Berkeley Mayor Arreguin, Berkeley City Council, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, the elected representatives of the UCB student body (ASUC), tenants’ rights organizations and the tenants themselves. In response, the tenants of 1921 Walnut St. and allies will be protesting at the UC Regents’ office in Oakland, demanding that UC stop all plans to evict these tenants and demolish these affordable housing units.

This purchase of 1921 Walnut St. was UC’s “crossing the Rubicon” moment; signaling UC’s refusal to engage with the local community, be held to public scrutiny or adhere to the ethical values required of any publicly funded university. Now that UC owns the property, the tenants are no longer protected by Berkeley rent laws because of UC’s special privilege as a public university. As part of their special status, UC receives public funding and has a commitment to the public good and thus, UC has a responsibility to the local communities in which it operates. Despite those obligations, UC is violating the trust and good faith of the people of California by not working with the tenants of 1921 Walnut St., refusing to compromise with Berkeley elected officials, and ignoring all objections of the student body (ASUC) and other community members. Although UC is subject to state laws, UC even refuses to comply with SB-330 Housing Crisis Act of 2019 and are essentially “picking and choosing” the state laws they want to follow. In light of the recent California Public Records Act (CPRA) document release, it is now evident that UC has enlisted wealthy landlord and heiress Jackie Safier to assist in the redevelopment of 1921 Walnut St. Until this public records request, Safier’s involvement has been kept secret in yet another attempt by UC to hide from public scrutiny. Impunity, unaccountability, anti-affordable housing, disrespect of local communities – are these the values Californians want associated with their public university? Or will Californians hold UC to the standards of public service, ethical behavior and respect for local communities? While it is evident that many Californians prefer UC to be ethical and transparent, it is also evident that UC will continue to act with impunity until they are held accountable. Despite the devasting news that UC is now their landlord, the tenants of 1921 Walnut St. continue their “David vs Goliath” struggle to save their homes and to hold UC accountable.

Event Info: There will be a small, physically distanced action OUTSIDE in front of 1111 Franklin Street in Oakland with the tenants and allies. We welcome media attention and coverage, and will be available before, during, and after the event for media to contact. Prior to the event, questions can be sent to 1921WalnutStAssociation [at] gmail.com with a copy to John Selawsky of the Berkeley Tenants Union, who can be reached via e-mail at: websky66 [at] gmail.com or phone 510.590.6227



Background and Contacts:

To learn more about 1921 Walnut St. and to access the California Public Records Act (CPRA) documents, visit https://www.save1921walnut.org
or go directly to:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t3pv7cnbtrkcg7h/AACRngXl_bM4Z1qexcoWvYyXa?dl=0

To see the letter the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board sent UC on June 8, 2020, visit:
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Rent_Stabilization_Board/Level_3_-_General/INFO_Ltr%20to%20UC%20Regents%20re%201921%20Walnut%20St.pdf

To see the Berkeley City Council approved “Resolution in Support of 1921 Walnut Street”:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/877d6gku0lgk5j4/2020-07-28%20Revised%20Agenda%20Packet%20-%20Council%20-%20WEB.pdf?dl=0
and contact author Councilmember Kate Harrison KHarrison [at] cityofberkeley.info

To see the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association statement of support, visit:
https://www.save1921walnut.org/about

To contact the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) for comment, contact
Derek Imai eavp [at] asuc.org

To learn more about UC’s planned eviction of tenants, demolition of 1921 Walnut St., redevelopment plan and citations, visit https://www.save1921walnut.org/

To see UC Regents ethical commitments and Policy 1111: Policy on Statement of Ethical Values and Standards of Ethical Conduct, visit:
https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/governance/policies/1111.html

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