CA State Senator Leland Yee feeling heat from housing rights activists

Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) failed to support our bill to protect tenant security deposits, SB 603, and this month reversed his support for inclusionary housing ordinances that would make housing more affordable for more Californians, AB 1229. These votes are drawing the ire of the local tenant rights community.

Dean Preston, Executive Director at Tenants Together, writes at BeyondChron about Sen. Yee's vote on AB 1229, "Senator Leland Yee nearly killed the bill. Yee represents San Francisco which strongly supports inclusionary housing requirements. Despite voting “aye” on SB 184 two years ago, a bill that would have done the exact same thing as the current bill, Senator Leland Yee refused to state his position on the bill for weeks and then voted against it. This was the same thing he did recently when voting against basic security deposit protections in SB 603. His recent anti-tenant and anti-affordable housing votes can only be explained as an effort to attract donations for his statewide race for Secretary of State."

Steve Jones at the San Francisco BayGuardian asks, Are Yee's Anti-Tenant Votes About Courting Contributions from Landlords? On SB 603--Security Deposit Fairness, Yee claimed that it "'would have invited lawsuits against landlords throughout the state, honest and otherwise, which would inevitably lead to property owners taking units off the market and driving up prices.'" SB 603 would have actually provided a more effective disincentive for withholding tenant security deposits, perhaps even reducing the number of tenants who have to go to court to get their deposit back. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) took his colleague to task: "Yee mischaracterized SB 603. 'Those are the talking point of the industry and they're just plain wrong.'" It's concerning to have a state representative like Sen. Yee, who is progressive on many other issues, parroting the talking points of the landlord and real estate lobby.

In a recent letter by the Harvey Milk Democratic Club in San Francisco, President Tom Temprano writes regarding his vote against AB 1229, "This is not your first vote against tenants’ rights and affordable housing. Your recent track record on these matters does not meet our standard of a progressive legislator and deviates from the communities that you’ve committed to representing." The Milk Club has regularly shown support for Yee at the local and statewide level, endorsing him for his race for Mayor in 2011 and presenting him with their Community Ally Award at their Annual Dinner and Gala on this year. Even his supporters are shaking their heads at his recent track record.

August Tenant News Roundup

News Across the State of California

Fresno Inn Tenants Fight Back

Fresno tenants defended their rights against an onslaught of eviction threats, notices, and utility shutoffs at the Fresno Inn. Tenants living in slum conditions were given bogus 3-day notices citing that the building would be demolished due to high speed rail construction. Our Central Valley staff Omé and Magdalena put pressure on the landlord. Watch video of the event here. TT along with attorney Alessandra Muhawe, and with community support, was able to successfully get the landlord to rescind the notices.  Read the Fresno Bee front page coverage here. On to pressure Casa de Campo LLC, LLC member George S. Lee, and manager William Leyton to improve conditions at the property!

Bloodsucking Bugs Irritating Concord Residents

Concord residents are being eaten alive by bed bugs, and landlords are failing to do their part to eradicate pests and restore habitability to the properties they own. Residents living at Rosemont Apartments and other complexes in Concord are fed up with local code enforcement officials who are letting landlords off the hook. Tenants are working with TT Organizer Guillermo to demand a bed-bug free living environment.”

U.S. Warns Against Eminent-Domain Mortgage Seizures
The Federal Housing Finance Agency has threatened to stop mortgage lending in cities that take underwater mortgages by eminent domain. This follows the filing of a lawsuit by the Wall Street banks and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prohibit the use of eminent domain by the City of Richmond in the Bay Area. Fair Housing organizations have filed a brief in response to redlining threats against the city.

SRO Tenants Build Stronger Neighborhoods
Randy Shaw argues that SRO tenants, as long-term residents with a stake in their neighborhoods, work to improve conditions, but that they receive little help from local agencies to keep their neighborhoods free of activities like drug dealing.


Notable Tenant News Nationwide

Attorney General Sues Local Landlord

A North Carolina landlord is being sued for illegally withholding tenant security deposits there. The landlord rents mainly to students, who are particular victims of security deposit theft.

Echo Village Tenants, Fighting Eviction, Want to Remain in Diverse Complex

Tenants with Section 8 vouchers are being forced from a housing complex in Amherst MA, because the new landlord wants to raise rents above the limit that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has set as the "fair market rent" for the city.

Quinn Signs Law to Help Illinois Renters Fight Foreclosure

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation to protect tenants in foreclosed properties. The law provides many of the same protections afforded by the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA), which expires at the end of 2014. The Chicago City Council enacted additional protections in June.

Meet Our Organizing Interns

Tenants Together's organizing work focuses on reaching out to tenants in areas across the state that have few protections for renters, holding tenant meetings to find and develop leaders, and providing assistance to a Tenant Action Group to advance renters rights in their area. As a statewide organization, we also work online to educate and create awareness of the importance of renters' rights to advance social and economic justice for Californians. As with much of our work, we wouldn't have as much of an impact without with support of volunteers and interns. This summer we had two special people join us to support our organizing work. Get to know them!

Mark Cummings (Organizing Intern)

Where did you grow up? 
Santa Maria, CA

What were the experiences of renters in your neighborhood?
Nothing like some of the stories I've heard since doing organizing.

Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
I have an interest in economic justice and working to help others.

What’s next for you after your internship?
I'm continuing with school. I want to obtain a Master of Public Administration degree.

What's your dream job? 
Executive Director of a non-profit.

What do you enjoy about working with fellow Tenants Together staff & volunteers?
The knowledge they provide, their positive attitudes, and that they are overall great people.

What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
The one about a landlord sawing the boards under someone's home so it would become uninhabitable.

What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen? 
Umm... (don't know).

What's one thing someone would never guess about you? 
I love to cook and try new foods. Also, I'm really good at jumping on a pogo stick. :-)

Maro Guevara (Online Organizing Intern)

Where did you grow up?
Panama City, Panama

What were the experiences of renters in your neighborhood?
Most people were actually homeowners, but I've been a renter in California since 2008, which has influenced the way I think about the tenant-landlord dynamic.

Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
I'm really interested in what's going on with renters in California and the Bay Area, especially with the recent uptick in evictions and condo conversions. I also wanted to empower myself as a renter and apply some of the social media skills I've gained as a freelancer to a non-profit context.

What’s next for you after your internship?
I've been doing social media management through a startup called Social Sonar for the past couple of years, so I'll continue to do that. I'm also working on becoming a copy editor through a UC Berkeley Extension program. Besides that, I'm committing myself to my job search and exploring grad school programs.

What's your dream job? 
Right now, I'd like to find a communications position with an arts or service organization. Something that combines writing, editing, some design and online community management would be awesome. 

What do you enjoy about working with fellow Tenants Together staff & volunteers?
I really enjoy the collaborative way in which this office works; how everyone is so knowledgeable and willing to support each other.

What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
The coverage about the so-called "Mayor of Fulton Street" was pretty crazy and hard to believe.

What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
The Devil Wears Prada. Only because working for Anna Wintour is probably a lot worse.

What's one thing someone would never guess about you? 
I played a robot in a production of The Tempest.


Interested in joining our team as a volunteer or intern? Check out the opportunities here.