Oakland OKs proposal to pause rent increases

Former Oakland mayor Jean Quan speaks during a public comment section during an Oakland City Council meeting held to decide whether to impose a 90-day moratorium on no-cause evictions and rent increases for Oakland residents, at City Hall in Oakland, CA, Tuesday, April 5, 2016. less Former Oakland mayor Jean Quan speaks during a public comment section during an Oakland City Council meeting held to decide whether to impose a 90-day moratorium on no-cause evictions and rent increases for ... more Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Oakland OKs proposal to pause rent increases 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

The Oakland City Council voted unanimously early Wednesday to impose a controversial 90-day moratorium on rent increases, during a meeting that lasted past midnight.

The emergency ordinance, brought by Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney, comes at a time when 1 in 4 Oakland residents is in danger of getting displaced, according to Mayor Libby Schaaf. It stems from a draft resolution submitted by housing activists on March 10.

The original version asked for a temporary prohibition on no-cause evictions and rent increases that aren’t tied to the annual consumer price index. McElhaney’s modified ordinance did not include the freeze on evictions.

The proposal, which drew more than 200 speakers to City Hall, elicited painful stories from longtime residents who stand to lose their homes. It also drew vigorous opposition from landlords. Many of them called it a feel-good fix that would discourage them from paying for much-needed property improvements.

“What you are proposing tonight is simply political showmanship,” said Alan Reinke, who has owned property in Oakland for 17 years and said he has never evicted a tenant.

Reinke said the moratorium, which would not apply to homes built after 1983 because of the state’s Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, would prevent mom-and-pop property owners from making a decent return on their investment. He and others urged the city to turn its attention instead to a severe affordable housing shortage.

“Let’s do sensible housing proposals ... build, build, build,” said Steven Edrington, another property owner.

Abigail Bornstein, a teacher and owner of a small duplex, said the moratorium would unfairly penalize small property owners who are legally mandated to keep their property up to code.

“Roofers, plumbers and electricians are not being told they can only increase their fees by (the consumer price index of) 1.7 percent,” she said. “However owners must maintain their properties or be cited by the city.”

Wayne Rowland, president of the East Bay Rental Housing Association, suggested that property owners issue a 90-day moratorium of their own — by not paying for improvements.

“And then maybe you start seeing a few holes and missing teeth in Oakland,” said a landlord named Barbara Armstrong.

But Peter Masiak of the Service Employees International Union accused the landlords of playing the victim game.

“The carpenter and the plumber are increasing their costs because the rent’s too high,” he said.

Supporters of the moratorium gave wrenching speeches, saying they could no longer afford to stay in a city that their families had lived in for generations.

“I lost my grandkids — some moved to Sacramento, and the others moved to Vallejo,” said Towanda Sherry, an activist with the group Causa Justa/Just Cause.

“I have children sleeping around the side of my apartment building,” she continued. “Do you know what that looks like?”

Councilman Abel Guillen called the moratorium a “pause button” that would give city officials enough time to write a slew of new policies — like regulations on short-term Airbnb rentals that are constricting the city’s housing supply, he said.

In February, Oakland’s median monthly rent soared to $3,000 per month, the council said in staff reports, citing statistics from the real estate site Trulia.

One man, who spoke on a different agenda item Tuesday, said he’d had to choose between paying rent or the $200 he owed for child care. He chose rent.

“My child may be kicked out today,” he said.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @rachelswan