Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Reports from the field - 2014 Renters' day of Action


On Tuesday, February 18th 500 tenants and allies converged on the Capitol for our Renters' Day of Action. Californians from across the state joined us to lobby for restoration of the Renters' Rebate, reform of the Ellis Act, and passage of SB 391- the Homes & Jobs Act. Read more about the day. We've collected some of the live reports from the field here:




6:30-7:30am Getting on the bus and on the road! Buses left from Fresno, Oakland, and San Francisco. Many others carpooled.




9:30am Arrival at the Capitol



A diversity of groups fighting for tenants and working people joined.








Animals had their say too


Some electeds joined in support





500 tenants and allies were there to march and rally


After the rally, a dozen small groups groups dropped literature in the Capitol to make sure our demands were heard



This is just the beginning!
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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Trouble in Turtle Town




Some might say a turtle doesn't have a right to its shell, but here at Tenants Together we think differently.
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Saturday, February 8, 2014

February 2014 tenant news roundup

The San Francisco Bay Area is erupting with protests over displacement, gentrification, and rising rents. For the media, it seemed to begin with the "Google Bus" protests last month, which attacked a symbol of gentrification in San Francisco's Mission district, and sparked a flurry of press coverage and discussion on the issue. 

Protest and tenant organizing has opened window of opportunity to change the Ellis Act, which has been a key tool of speculators to evict long-term tenants from rent-controlled properties. These unfair evictions swell during boom times when the housing market is tight and there's quick millions to be made in the real-estate market. Now is the time to fight back against displacement. Tenants across the state will march on Sacramento on February 18th in a Day of Action to fight back against unfair evictions and rising rents. We are also going to support SB 391, the Homes & Jobs act, and to demand the restoration of the Renters' Rebate.

San Francisco housing crisis:
Tenants at Mid-Market Complex Sue Landlord Over Evictions
With No Rent Control, Tenants Losing Grip on Single-Family Homes
Confronting the Speculators
Supervisors to Consider Law Targeting Tenant Harassment
SOMA Family Battles Fourth Ellis Eviction Attempt
Supervisor Campos proposes meaningful recourse for SF Ellis-evicted tenants

Elsewhere in California:
Yuba County Needs Affordable Housing 
Concord Landlord Faces Housing Discrimination Lawsuit
Rohnert Park May Sell Properties for Apartments

Tenants Together in the news:
Tenant Advocates Seek Support for Reforming Ellis Act
Fighting evictions – at all levels

Out of state:
Damage Deposit Laws Give Landlords Unfair Advantage

Bill Would Ban Nuisance Laws, Allow Calls to Police
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Landlord Legislator Overplays His Hand

Last week was an unprecedented week in the California legislature. On Tuesday, landlord legislator Senator Rod Wright (D – Inglewood) was convicted of eight counts of perjury and voter fraud. On Wednesday, his colleagues in the senate made clear that they would take no action against Wright pending appeal of the criminal conviction. On Thursday, Senator Wright introduced a bill (SB 929) to require that certain nonviolent felony convictions (like perjury and voter fraud) be converted to misdemeanors, a bill that could spare Wright from being ousted from the Senate.






Senator Wright has likely committed political suicide with this bill.  State conflict of interest rules prohibit Senators from using public resources or the power of their office for their personal financial benefit. Gov. Code sec. 87100.   Introducing a bill to provide a foreseeable financial benefit to the author is prohibited. Gov. Code sec. 87102.5(a). Wright knows that he will lose his job if these felony convictions stand. He used the power of his office to introduce legislation that would convert his felony conviction to a misdemeanor, a change that would allow him to stay in office and continue collecting his salary as a senator.

His decision to introduce this bill is particularly strange coming a day after his colleagues expressed willingness to allow Wright to stay in office despite his felony convictions.

For reasons inexplicable to most observers, even after a jury verdict convicting Wright on eight counts of perjury and voter fraud, his colleagues did not condemn him. They did not call for his resignation or start the process for removal. Instead, they announced that they would wait until resolution of his appeal before seeking his removal from office. This would extend Wright’s time in office for years, possibly allowing him to finish out his term. (He has already served since 2008 while under indictment for these charges.) One would think Wright would leave well enough alone, thank his colleagues, and keep a low profile. Instead, a day later he introduced a bill to downgrade his felony convictions to misdemeanors, one of the most blatant abuses of power in recent political history.

Senate leader Darrell Steinberg was obviously not amused. Asked to comment on Wright’s introduction of SB 929, Steinberg’s spokesperson made clear the bill would not make it to the floor and said simply, “wrong author, wrong time.”

Wright should be forced out of office before he does further damage to taxpayers, constituents and the Senate. It may well be his ethics violation in introducing this self-serving legislation that will drive him from office, rather than his eight felony convictions. Either way, people who care about fairness and decency in politics will celebrate his departure.

[A version of this article was originally published at BeyondChron.org]
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