Is Your Rent Too High?

Oakland Tenants and Friends who Support Fairness and Justice:

The Tenant Justice Campaign (TJC) is a broad alliance of individuals and pro-tenant organizations.  In response to the ‘Debt Service’ and ‘Capital Improvement’ Rent Adjustment Program regulation amendments that the Oakland Rent Board has put forth for Oakland City Council approval, Causa Justa Just Cause, Oakland Tenants Union, East Bay Community Law Center, Tenants Together, and pro-tenant activists have been meeting regularly since mid-July 2013 to evaluate the proposed amendments and have developed positions to better protect tenants.  We need your support.

We are asking supporters to send emails to Oakland decision-makers and officials (listed below) to make your support of TJC proposals known.  A sample message is provided (below), which you can forward as is or modify as you feel appropriate.

Proposals to change the Oakland Rent Law / Regulations will be discussed at the City’s Council’s Community and Economic Development Committee on Tuesday, February 25, at 2 pm.  Please send your statement of support by Friday, February 21.  We expect that the full Council will consider the recommendations either March 4 or March 18.

Read about it here in the East Bay Express

Rents are rising in Oakland, in some neighborhoods as much as 20% in one year. Rent increases are forcing Oakland tenants out of their homes. The Tenant Justice Campaign is working to strengthen the Oakland Rent Law and Regulations to better protect tenants.

Come to the:
Community and Economic Development Committee of the Oakland City Council Tuesday, February 25, at 2 pm

Rally and press conference at 1 pm
Oakland City Hall, 14th & Broadway

Speak out about tenants rights at this meeting.
Send a statement! Email Oakland Decision Makers by Friday, February 21.
 
Oakland City Council  (Send to all) 
pkernighan@oaklandnet.com, lschaaf@oaklandnet.com, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com, lreid@oaklandnet.com, lmcelhaney@oaklandnet.com, dkalb@oaklandnet.com, ngallo@oaklandnet.com, atlarge@oaklandnet.com,

Oakland Mayor, City Administrator, City Attorney  (Copy  all)
jeanquan4@gmail.com, offficeofthemayor@oaklandnet.com, officeofthecityattoney@oaklandnet.com, officeofthecityadministrator@oaklandnet.com,

Oakland Rent Board    (Copy to all)
ccastellanet@pilpca.org, noah.frigault@sfgov.org, edward.lai9@gmail.com, mab1472@yahoo.com, Beverly.Williams@ceb.ucla.edu, bscott@adventpropertiesinc.com,

Rent Adjustment Program Manager and Attorney   (Copy to both)
CTaylor2@oaklandnet.com, RIllgen@oaklandcityattoney.org,

please copy the Tenant Justice Campaign : robbie@cjjc.org

TO:   (insert email addresses of City Council members)
CC:   (insert email addresses of Oakland Mayor, City Administrator, City Attorney, Oakland Rent Board members, Rent Adjustment Program Manager and Attorney, Tenant Justice Campaign)

Subject:  Urging You to Support the Proposals of the Tenant Justice Campaign on Debt Service and Capital Improvements

I write on behalf of (insert your organization’s name, or delete if individual), an organization committed to (insert one-line capsule of your organization’s vision/mission). 

Rents in Oakland are rising dramatically.  In just one year, rents in some Oakland neighborhoods have risen over 20% !  In a city where renters are the majority, it is long past time to achieve fairness and justice for Oakland tenants.

(I) (Our organization) endorse(s) the proposals put forth by the Tenant Justice Campaign for urgently needed changes to Oakland’s Rent Ordinance and Regulations regarding debt service and capital improvements.  The TJC proposals — unlike those of the City’s Rent Adjustment Program, are reasonable, balanced, and fair to both tenants and owners, and are more closely aligned with policies of adjacent cities. 

For these reasons, (I) (we) strongly urge your support of the Tenant Justice Campaign’s proposals to modify the Rent Program’s debt service and capital improvements justifications for rent increases:

*  Eliminate the owner’s Debt Service as a basis for rent increase

*  Share the costs of Capital Improvements between tenants and owner

*  Require owners to file petitions before passing-through Capital Improvement costs to tenants, and require notification to affected tenants of regulations governing Capital Improvements

*  Establish a maximum cap of 10% on annual rent increases to include ALL allowable increase justifications, including Capital Improvements.

*  Expand the present 5 year amortization period for capital improvements pass-throughs to 5, 10, 20 years to more accurately reflect the useful life of the improvements,

*  Ensure that Capital Improvements increases are removed from tenant’s rent on the payoff expiration date.

Your support of the Tenant Justice Campaign’s fair and reasonable recommendations is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

(Your name, title, and/or Council District)

The Tenant Justice Campaign is working to strengthen
the Oakland Rent Law and Regulations to better protect tenants.

Currently, landlords can pass-through to tenants expenses for
capital improvements and debt service (mortgage and interest).

Proposals about reducing these landlord pass-throughs will be heard at the Community and Economic Development Committee of the Oakland City Council Tuesday, February 25, at 2 pm
Rally and press conference at 1 pm
Oakland City Hall, 14th & Broadway

Come to speak out about tenants rights.

For more information:
Robbie:  (510) 763-5877, ext. 404  or robbie@cjjc.org
James:  (510) 763-0142 or jamesevann@aol.com