Call-out For Renters at the City Council

The Alameda Renters Coalition has confirmed that there will be a workshop on the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance Review (May 2018) Prepared by Management Partners, Tuesday July 10, 6pm, at City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave . We need help letting the City Council know how badly our rent ordinance is working.





ARC agrees with the report’s call for relocation fees to be based not on the rent currently paid, but on the market rate for vacant units at the time. If you are evicted for no cause, the rent you have to pay, the first/last and security deposit will all be at the current market rate, not on your old rent.



However, the report concludes that: “Ordinance 3148 appears to be having the desired effect on the rental housing market: discouraging landlords from terminating existing tenants to gain higher rent from new tenants, providing financial assistance to tenants who are relocated, and providing a forum through which landlords and tenants can resolve rent increase disputes.”



WE DISAGREE ! Tenants live in fear of being evicted for just asking for a repair. The Rent Review Advisory Committee (RRAC) is handing out rent increases of 7-20%. And with the trigger set at 5% tenants are being slowly priced out of their homes without any way to meaningfully fight back.



Another problem is that the report draws these conclusions without backing them up. How many evictions were there before the ordinance versus now? How much was rent going up before the ordinance versus now? They don’t tell us. So how can they know that things are better? At best, this is a snapshot of our current situation, not a report that can draw conclusions about the law’s effectiveness.



Please come! You don’t need to speak, you can cheer and hold signs! If you do speak, please: Back In May 2017, the City Council directed staff to engage a third-party consultant to review the Rent Stabilization Ordinance No. 3148. The City hired a group called “Management Partners” to meet with various stakeholders, including ARC, to assess the performance of the ordinance. That report has been finalized and the City Council must vote to approve it or send it back to correct errors or clarifications. You can find the report here , or in the City Council Agenda, item 2A.ARC agrees with the report’s call for relocation fees to be based not on the rent currently paid, but on the market rate for vacant units at the time. If you are evicted for no cause, the rent you have to pay, the first/last and security deposit will all be at the current market rate, not on your old rent.However, the report concludes that: “Ordinance 3148 appears to be having the desired effect on the rental housing market: discouraging landlords from terminating existing tenants to gain higher rent from new tenants, providing financial assistance to tenants who are relocated, and providing a forum through which landlords and tenants can resolve rent increase disputes.”Tenants live in fear of being evicted for just asking for a repair. The Rent Review Advisory Committee (RRAC) is handing out rent increases of 7-20%. And with the trigger set at 5% tenants are being slowly priced out of their homes without any way to meaningfully fight back.Another problem is that the report draws these conclusions without backing them up. How many evictions were there before the ordinance versus now? How much was rent going up before the ordinance versus now? They don’t tell us. So how can they know that things are better? At best, this is a snapshot of our current situation, not a report that can draw conclusions about the law’s effectiveness.If you do speak, please: Tell them your story of how the law is not protecting you. Specifically, about rent increases and/or evictions.

Ask them for comparative data, or to just drop the conclusions.

Suggest adopting the market rate relocation fee recommendation.

The meeting start at 6 pm, but please come at 5:45 , if you can, to meet us in the hallway and get your speaker slips, and we can possibly arrange to sit together.



Tuesday, July 10 at 6 pm

City Council Chambers

City Hall, 3rd floor

2263 Santa Clara Ave

Alameda

Please take the survey:

The City of Alameda is conducting a survey on minimum wage, since they are considering a policy change. If you would like your voice to be heard, please respond by July 22, when the survey will close: Take the survey here. Are You Registered to Vote?



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Alameda Renters Coalition (ARC)

P.O. Box 2322 Alameda, CA 94501

Tenant Help Line: (510) 473-2332 P.O. Box 2322 Alameda, CA 94501Tenant Help Line: (510) 473-2332

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