2.4 20-0228 Subject: Tenant Protection, Just Cause, & Rent Ordinance Amendments
From: City Attorney Parker, Councilmember Bas And Pro Tempore Kalb
Recommendation: Adopt An Ordinance Amending Chapter 8.22 Of The Oakland Municipal Code (Residential Rent Adjustments And Evictions) To (1) Limit The Maximum Rent Increase In Any One Year To Conform To State Law; (2) Make Failure To Pay Required Relocation Benefits An Affirmative Defense To Eviction; (3) Limit Late Fees; (4) Prohibit Unilaterally Imposed Changes To Terms Of Tenancy; (5) Add One-For-One Replacement Of Roommates To The Definition Of Housing Services; (6) Prohibit Eviction Based On Additional Occupants If Landlord Unreasonably Refused Tenant's Written Request To Add Occupant(S); And (7) Strengthen Tenants' Rights And Enforcement Of Tenants' Rights Under The Tenant Protection Ordinance [TITLE CHANGE]
I support these amendments. Nothing in this legislation would change anything for a caring, responsible landlord and it will do a whole lot to protect tenants from bad landlords. This, in concert with the extended eviction moratorium will help stop the displacement of Black and Indigenous Oaklanders.
Hi- I'm urging you to IMMEDIATELY extend Oakland's eviction moratorium until the state of emergency is lifted. Experts warn of a tsunami of evictions due to COVID-19. Like the pandemic and police violence, communities of color will bear the brunt of the crisis. Housing keeps us safe, not the police. Extend the eviction moratorium and pass the tenant protections upgrade.
I fully support this measure. We have a housing and houselessness crisis in Oakland that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. Tenants need protection: housing is a human right.
I strongly support this measure. Unjust rent hikes and evictions have been huge drivers of the housing and homelessness crisis in the Bay over the past decade. It's beyond time the city took these kinds of measures to concretely combat that.
I am a resident of District 2 and a tenant in support of these measures. I have previously been threatened with eviction for requesting to move in a new roommate in a 1-to-1 replacement. Every request to move someone in to replace a tenant was refused. Tenants' rights to a 1-to-1 replacement should be reflected in the law. All these updates are much needed to protect tenants.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic reached California, Oakland faced a housing affordability crisis that threatened our public health, safety and community stability. Our community, made up of workers, tenants, unsheltered folks, people with disabilities, and more, must continue to push for the broader racial, economic, gender, disability, and environmental justice that we need.
Equipping tenants with the protections that better help them fend off the trend of landlords replacing poor workers with richer tenants is the right thing to do. Not doing so only makes it easy for the current trend of gentrification and the destruction of communities and the ability of the city itself to function and the mental health of workers who must now undertake super commutes.
Landlords unscrupulously raise rent prices to earn the maximum money based on their collective monopolizing of capital and wealth. This is "just being smart with money," but is actually a very racist because the people with money in this country are the former slave owners or now the current corporate board members who put in a system that systemtically disadvantages black and poor workers. They get rich not because of the work they do, but because of the wealth they already have -- wealth that they did not create, but that they own because they have found various ways to steal it from workers.
High rent is just one way of many that these super rich steal wealth created by workers. Give workers more tools to fight back
D3 resident--I fully support increased tenant protections. It is essential during this global pandemic that we keep community members housed! It is dangerous and immoral to evict residents during this time.
The Tenant Protection Ordinance has not been properly vetted or thought through! You are going to kill small mom and pop landlords with these changes especially owner-occupied duplexes and triplexes where (a) we can't control who we rent to that lives in our own home - even a rented room! - and 100% of rental income could disappear, and no vetting of need is included in the eviction moratorium.
I'm a district 3 resident and healthcare worker, and it is vital that the council passes these tenant protection amendments. Oakland already has a housing crisis, with the possibility of an even worse crisis looming due to the pandemic and related unemployment, and the city council must step up and protect Oakland renter's. Please help keep Oakland housed!
This amendment to Oakland's TPO is needed more now than ever. Bad-faith landlords have been harassing tenants during the COVID-19 emergency, and elder tenants are highly vulnerable not only to these landlords but to COVID as well. These are basic protections that any tenant deserves. Please pass this as-is and do not remove it from the consent agenda.
My name is Jocelyn Cansino and I live in District 3. I am calling to urge you to IMMEDIATELY extend Oakland's eviction moratorium until the local state of emergency is lifted. Experts warn of a tsunami of evictions due to COVID-19. Communities of color will bear the brunt of the crisis. Housing keeps us safe.
I strongly support the amendments to strengthen tenant protections.
I support these amendments. Nothing in this legislation would change anything for a caring, responsible landlord and it will do a whole lot to protect tenants from bad landlords. This, in concert with the extended eviction moratorium will help stop the displacement of Black and Indigenous Oaklanders.
Hi- I'm urging you to IMMEDIATELY extend Oakland's eviction moratorium until the state of emergency is lifted. Experts warn of a tsunami of evictions due to COVID-19. Like the pandemic and police violence, communities of color will bear the brunt of the crisis. Housing keeps us safe, not the police. Extend the eviction moratorium and pass the tenant protections upgrade.
I fully support this measure. We have a housing and houselessness crisis in Oakland that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. Tenants need protection: housing is a human right.
I strongly support this measure. Unjust rent hikes and evictions have been huge drivers of the housing and homelessness crisis in the Bay over the past decade. It's beyond time the city took these kinds of measures to concretely combat that.
I live in district 1 and fully support tenant protections.
I am a resident of District 2 and a tenant in support of these measures. I have previously been threatened with eviction for requesting to move in a new roommate in a 1-to-1 replacement. Every request to move someone in to replace a tenant was refused. Tenants' rights to a 1-to-1 replacement should be reflected in the law. All these updates are much needed to protect tenants.
My name is Aislinn Sterling and I live in District 1. I'm writing to express my support for these increased tenant protections.
I strongly support this measure.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic reached California, Oakland faced a housing affordability crisis that threatened our public health, safety and community stability. Our community, made up of workers, tenants, unsheltered folks, people with disabilities, and more, must continue to push for the broader racial, economic, gender, disability, and environmental justice that we need.
Equipping tenants with the protections that better help them fend off the trend of landlords replacing poor workers with richer tenants is the right thing to do. Not doing so only makes it easy for the current trend of gentrification and the destruction of communities and the ability of the city itself to function and the mental health of workers who must now undertake super commutes.
Landlords unscrupulously raise rent prices to earn the maximum money based on their collective monopolizing of capital and wealth. This is "just being smart with money," but is actually a very racist because the people with money in this country are the former slave owners or now the current corporate board members who put in a system that systemtically disadvantages black and poor workers. They get rich not because of the work they do, but because of the wealth they already have -- wealth that they did not create, but that they own because they have found various ways to steal it from workers.
High rent is just one way of many that these super rich steal wealth created by workers. Give workers more tools to fight back
I support the amendments to strengthen tenant protections.
D3 resident--I fully support increased tenant protections. It is essential during this global pandemic that we keep community members housed! It is dangerous and immoral to evict residents during this time.
The Tenant Protection Ordinance has not been properly vetted or thought through! You are going to kill small mom and pop landlords with these changes especially owner-occupied duplexes and triplexes where (a) we can't control who we rent to that lives in our own home - even a rented room! - and 100% of rental income could disappear, and no vetting of need is included in the eviction moratorium.
In support of this
I'm a district 3 resident and healthcare worker, and it is vital that the council passes these tenant protection amendments. Oakland already has a housing crisis, with the possibility of an even worse crisis looming due to the pandemic and related unemployment, and the city council must step up and protect Oakland renter's. Please help keep Oakland housed!
This amendment to Oakland's TPO is needed more now than ever. Bad-faith landlords have been harassing tenants during the COVID-19 emergency, and elder tenants are highly vulnerable not only to these landlords but to COVID as well. These are basic protections that any tenant deserves. Please pass this as-is and do not remove it from the consent agenda.
My name is Jocelyn Cansino and I live in District 3. I am calling to urge you to IMMEDIATELY extend Oakland's eviction moratorium until the local state of emergency is lifted. Experts warn of a tsunami of evictions due to COVID-19. Communities of color will bear the brunt of the crisis. Housing keeps us safe.
I am a District 1 resident and landlord and I fully support the strengthening of Oakland's tenant protections.
This are crucial protections for Oakland renters and need to be extended immediately. Thank you.
I am a resident of district 3 and strongly support this for the good of our entire Oakland community.