Oakland Voters have an Opportunity to Expand Just Cause Protections - Vote in the November 2022 Election for Measure V!

Attention all Oakland Voters:

Measure V will be on the Ballot this November 2022 proposing to expand Oakland's Just Cause Eviction Ordinance as follows:

"Shall the Measure amending the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance to: 

(1) prohibit no-fault evictions of children and educators during the school year; 

(2) extend eviction protections to tenants in recreational vehicles (RVs), tiny homes on wheels, and newly constructed units (except during the first 10 years after issuance of the certificate of occupancy); 

(3) remove failure to sign a new lease as grounds for eviction; and 

(4) make other clarifying amendments, be adopted?"

For more details, check the City Council agenda and minutes for "This Year" and search for "Just Cause." 

Care4Community which is associated with Councilperson Carroll Fife, which be holding a virtual assembly about Measure V and two other ballot measures related to housing issues.

The Theme of the Day: Tenant Power

Yesterday, an assembly meeting occurred in Hayward which was sponsored by the Regional Tenant Organization (RTO), an affiliation of thirty-one tenant associations spanning the Bay area. Tenant organizers from SonomaCounty, San Francisco, San Jose, East Palo Alto, Alameda, Oakland, and many other communities attended. A representative from the Eden Community Land Trust weighed in; the ECLT is loosely affiliated with the Oakland Community Land Trust and is seeking to acquire and develop affordable tenant housing in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County and the City of Hayward. In turn, the ECLT, OCLT, and Bay Area Community Land Trust are affiliated with the California Community Land Trust Network.

The overall theme of the assembly centered around how tenants in specific rental communities have organized to counter significant rent increases and improve living conditions, successful approaches, and how to keep the tenant momentum going and growing. The pandemic, job loss and financial hardship seemed to help fuel the growth of these tenant organizations as well as state-wide organizations such as ACCE and Tenants Together.

There's no question that the tenant movement is on a roll and making strides locally and state wide.

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Challenge To Oakland’s Tenant Relocation Assistance Law

Below is an excerpt of a City Attorney - Oakland newsletter posted in July 2022:

"On June 6, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to Oakland’s Uniform Residential Tenant Relocation Ordinance. The Court’s denial of the petition requesting review means that Oakland’s victories in the lower courts will stand—affirming a critical component of Oakland’s comprehensive tenant protections..."

"This case, Ballinger v. City of Oakland, began in 2018 when local landlords evicted their tenants in order to move back in, and paid the tenants the relocation assistance required under Oakland’s local laws. Calling the relocation payment “ransom,” the plaintiffs challenged Oakland’s ordinance, claiming it was unconstitutional on several grounds, including that the City was “taking” their property and that the payment was an unlawful “seizure” of their money."

"In 2019, the federal District Court for the Northern District of California agreed with the City that every one of the plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed, as no law supports their theories. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, upholding the dismissals earlier this year in an opinion confirming that Oakland’s ordinance is constitutional, and is consistent with many other types of lawful government regulation, from requiring corporations to pay to clean up hazardous waste to monetary assessments on tobacco companies."

"This challenge to Oakland’s tenant protections is not an isolated case; it is part of a growing national campaign against progressive policy and policymakers who seek to balance the scales by providing protections for historically and currently marginalized communities. The plaintiffs in this matter were represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), which is funded and guided by major corporate interests such as ExxonMobil and the tobacco industry, and by conservative foundations financed by right-wing billionaires such as the Koch brothers and the Scaife family. PLF has been involved in innumerable challenges to governments’ ability to protect vulnerable tenants from eviction and discrimination, raise money via taxation, and much more."

"This is an important and just victory for the City of Oakland—and for tenants’ rights. By refusing to consider overturning the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court affirmed what we have said since this litigation began: the City’s Uniform Residential Tenant Relocation Ordinance is a lawful—and vital—protection for Oakland tenants against no-fault eviction..."

AB 1482 Applies to Many Rental Units Not Covered by Rent Control BUT Not All Rental Housing

See NBC Bay Area news article below:

'Loophole' in 10% Rent Cap Law; Some Landlords Hike Rent 30%

Inviting Tech Industry Workers to Create Social Change: It's called TechEquity

A non-profit organization called TechEquity Collaborative which was founded by Gina Tomlinson who serves as a Commissioner for the City of Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission, has a "mission is to mobilize tech workers and companies to advance structural change that addresses economic inequity at its roots, focusing on housing and workforce & labor.

TechEquity has an interesting perspective on tenant screening algorithms and companies. See article below:

"Tech, Bias, and Housing Initiative: Tenant Screening"

Riding Out the Recession Tide

After spending nearly two years in isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are now weathering high food prices, utility costs, and gas prices. And, many landlords, also squeezed by higher operating and water costs, are raising rent. If you are like most people, these escalating prices are squeezing your budget. So, here are a few ideas to help you ride out the recession tide:

Utility Costs:

OhmConnect is a San Francisco based company that pays you to use your smart-plugs at specific times.

Smart-plugs and smart-thermostats can be controlled through an app. You can schedule when to turn on your electrical outlets and when to turn them off and this control can also be done remotely by OhmConnect at specific times during which you earn “watts.” Watts earned can be exchanged for rewards or a gift card redeemable through Amazon.

PG&E also has energy saving tips and programs including as simple a suggestion as using LED bulbs. In addition, PG&E has their own Power Savers Rewards program.

Medical Tests:

You can order many different blood tests through LifeExtension who works with Lab Corp, a leading medical lab. Such tests include Complete Blood Count (CBD) tests, vitamin D tests, female and male hormone panels, and many more. Lab tests are reliable, competitively priced, and results can be delivered by email and provided to your doctor.

Every Woman Counts

Is a free state-sponsored program offered to low-income women aged 40+ for breast cancer and cervical screening. 

Dental Services:

The University of Pacific in San Francisco offers discounted dental services conducted by students under the supervision of their professors. No-interest financing may also be available. Also check out the UCSF Dental School for similar services.

Some dentists also offer discounted dental cleanings + xrays through GroupOn.

Prescription Eye Exams and Glasses:

UC-Berkeley offers low-cost optometry exams that are initially conducted by optometry students and reviewed by their professors who are licensed optometrists. They also have a large array of frames and prescription lenses that can be ordered via their on-site store.

CostCo also offers on-site eye exams; discounted prescription glasses and frames can be ordered on-site.

Subscriptions:

Subscriptions to streaming movie/TV channels may be another area to cut costs. Quicken, Mint, or PayPal may help you identify, track, and reduce those expenses.

Pet Parents:

During the pandemic, many people found new pet companions. Keeping a pet healthy and fed is a commitment and here are a few resources to help keep costs down.

Got a new kitten or puppy? You can have your pet neutered or spayed by the Animal Fix Clinic in Richmond or The Pet Advocate in Tracy. The Pet Advocate also offers dental services for pets.

Pet Vet offers low cost vaccination clinics for your pets and accepts clients on a first/come first/serve basis. Plus, you can buy prescription pet food without a prescription and at a discount. Pet vet has clinics in Oakland and in El Cerrito.

VipPet Care also offers pet clinics in multiple Bay areas also on a first come/first serve basis. You can get a general wellness exam, vaccinations and low costs blood and fecal tests for your pets.

Some veterinarians like Banfield Pet and VCAHospital may offer free or discounted examinations to new clients or to pets adopted via pet shelters. Be sure to call the veterinary hospital to verify what offers might be relevant to you and your pet.

Looking for lower cost prescriptions for your pets? Chewy and WalMart pet pharmacies are good options. Ask your vet for permission to fill your pet’s prescriptions at these on-line pharmacies.

Pet Club in Oakland and other Bay area locations has an entire warehouse of food, toys, bedding, and pet accessories at competitive prices and often has sales.

Vet emergency? It was very difficult to find emergency service during the pandemic but there is a clinic in San Ramon called VEG which has top-notch veterinarians, on-site lab testing, and is up-front about their prices and options. Any vet emergency clinic can point you to a list of emergency veterinarians to try.

Most emergency veterinarians offer CareCredit and either 6-month or 12-month no-interest finance options but, be forewarned, if the promotional financing isn’t paid on time, the 30% or better interest rate will be applied to the initial balance.

Tenant-friendly Software to Answer a UD Complaint

A landlord attorney posted an article from CalMatters related to software created by tenant representatives and tenant-oriented non-profits concerning software designed to timely answer a UD complaint. If you are served with an "eviction complaint" (a Summons and Unlawful Detainer complaint), this might be software to explore. The software is currently designed for English and Spanish speakers and is meant to buy the tenant time until they can find attorney representation and file an amended answer to the UD Complaint.

Got an eviction notice? This California website will help you file a response.

See Tenant Power Toolkit. Click here.

Also see Nolo Press California Tenants Rights and California Landlord's Law Book: Evictions.