Category: Issues

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Photos of the Candidates
Pro-Tenant Slate

Your Berkeley Tenants Union is getting busy this election season!

Members must pay their dues if you want to vote on endorsements. Dues are a sliding scale. Contact “info at berkeleytenants dot org” to learn more.

These days, BTU communicates about actions via emails and Facebook. Be sure to like the Facebook page you see displayed on the sidebar to the right!

Be sure that you are on the mailing list too!

BTU has monthly clinics for free counseling if you are in trouble. We are also working on several ballot measures, and of course we urge you to support the Pro-Tenant Slate for Rent Board. If you want to volunteer to help get activists from BTU and like-minded organizations elected to the Berkeley Rent Board, you can sign up here to assist the Right2Housing Slate:
https://berkeleytenants.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3053fd94934e92d237a8b9e8&id=c69a08e63a&e=469b9ffc9e

ABOUT THE TENANT CONVENTION

The Berkeley Tenant Convention is a decades-old biennial event in which all Berkeley residents who fully support rent control are invited to nominate the progressive, pro-tenant slate for the Berkeley Rent Board. The sponsors of the 2020 Convention included the Berkeley Tenants Union, Berkeley Citizens Action, the Berkeley Democrats (NOT the Berkeley Democratic Club), the Cal Berkeley Democrats, the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, Friends of Adeline, the Gray Panthers, the Green Party, the NAACP, Our Revolution East Bay, SEIU 1021, UAW 2865 (the UC student-workers union), the Young Democratic Socialists of America – UC Berkeley, and Young Democrats for Justice in Palestine – East Bay.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

Photo of 2020 Pro-TenantSlate
2020 Pro-Tenant Slate

The candidates chosen at this year’s convention are Dominique Walker, who works at the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment; Mari Mendonca, a lifelong Berkeley resident who was appointed to the Rent Board recently; Xavier Johnson, who is a legal fellow at Centro Legal de la Raza; incumbent attorney Leah Simon-Weisberg, who has worked for San Francisco’s Eviction Defense Collaborative and Tenants Together; and Andy Kelley, Communications Director at the California League of Conservation Voters.

They are calling their campaign the Right2Housing Slate.

You can watch the whole 2020 Tenant Convention on video at BTU’s Facebook page, and keep up with the priorities and activities of our candidates at their website: https://berkeleyrentboard.org

FOR MORE INFO

Tenant Convention Slate for Berkeley Rent Board
“About 615 electronic ballots and 95 paper ballots were cast, this is an unprecedented turnout. Because of the pandemic, most efforts were done online.”
http://berkeleycitizensaction.org/?p=1193

About Mari
“She is City Councilmember Ben Bartlett’s appointee on the city’s Housing Advisory Commission. She is a member of Friends of Adeline, a neighborhood group that is working to stop gentrification in south Berkeley and to help shape the area’s future as it undergoes new planning. She has also been involved with unions.”
https://www.berkeleyside.com/2019/10/29/mari-mendonca-community-activist-appointed-to-fill-rent-board-vacancy#:~:text=Mari%20Mendonca%2C%20a%20Berkeley%20native,17%20to%20appoint%20Mendonca.

About Leah
“As current vice chair of the rent board, Simon-Weisberg’s legal and policymaking experience is part of what makes her an important member of the board, according to Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín.”
https://www.dailycal.org/2020/07/05/a-valued-partner-leah-simon-weisberg-runs-for-reelection-on-berkeley-rent-board/

Help Right2Housing Slate in the Election
https://berkeleyrentboard.org

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FREE monthly legal counseling for tenants!

BTU is resuming our clinics and workshops for renters. This month, counseling will take place from 6 to 8:30 PM on Thursday, July 25. Sessions will be scheduled in advance and take place at BTU’s headquarters in the Grassroots House on Blake near Shattuck.

Renters can sign up for a chance to speak with tenant attorneys about your situation by clicking the link below.

http://tinyurl.com/yxwzzw6f

For information on future counseling dates, workshops, or other places to get help, email us at info at berkeleytenants dot org or visit our resources page on this website. You can also like our facebook and sign up for the mailing list by using the links right here >>>>>

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Berkeley Tenants Union Membership Meeting
Monday June 17th @ 6 PM

The meeting will be held at 2727 Milvia Street, in the Sports Basement Community Room.

This relaunch meeting BTU scheduled for June 3 has been moved to June 17 because a meeting regarding housing at the Ashby BART location was recently scheduled for June 3.

Our meeting is open to members and other renters interested in accessing or strengthening their rights. For more information, please see our previous post, check our facebook page, or email BTU.

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April 19, 2019

The Honorable Hannah-Beth Jackson
Chair, Senate Committee on Judiciary
State Capitol, Room 2187
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 403-7394 

RE: Support – SB 529 (Durazo)

Dear Chair Jackson & Committee Members:

On behalf of the Berkeley Tenants Union, I write in support of SB 529 (Durazo), a bill that would provide crucial protections for vulnerable tenants. 
The Berkeley Tenants Union advocates for tenants legislatively, both in the City Council and the State Legislature.  We also work with tenants directly to address their issues.

Much as a labor union is key to winning fair treatment of workers, a tenant association is a crucial part of balancing power between landlord and tenants. Acting together, tenants can gain bargaining power, but too often tenants who organize with their neighbors frequently face retaliation and eviction. 

SB 529 recognizes the right to form a tenant association and extends crucial protections to tenant association members.  Specifically, the bill provides that any tenant who forms or joins a tenant association shall have the following rights:

1. No eviction of the tenants in the tenant association except for cause

2. A right to engage in rent strike – landlord must bargain in good faith about grievances and may not evict for nonpayment during the negotiation period

3. Five times current penalties for retaliation or violation of this law

The bill provides essential protections for tenants to prevent retaliation for organizing activities. We request your support for this bill. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Julia Cato
Berkeley Tenants Union, Chair of Steering Committee

For more information on the bill, consult our friends at Tenants Together:
http://www.tenantstogether.org/sb-529-right-organize-protect-tenant-voices-advocacy-resources

You could also read the bill, or check its status, here:
“This bill would declare that tenants have the right to form, join, and participate in the activities of a tenant association, subject to any restrictions as may be imposed by law, or to refuse to join or participate in the activities of a tenant association. The bill would define “tenant association” for these purposes and require a tenant association under these provisions to adopt bylaws or an operating agreement for purposes of its internal governance.”
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB529

https://berkeleytenants.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/BTU-letter-SB-529.pdf

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In Berkeley, tenants have a right to live in safe housing and landlords are required to certify that the housing they are renting out meets safety standards. That’s why, every July 1st, owners of rental housing in Berkeley must certify that their units meet those safety standards. They do this by utilizing the Rental Housing Safety Program (RHSP) Self Certification Safety Checklist known as Schedule A.  All owners of rental property, even those with only one or two units, are required to fill out the form every year. The Schedule A form, which was revised in September 2018, requires the owner to certify that the structural elements of the building, both inside and out, are functioning properly and safely.  

For instance, the form asks that owners certify that doors have working deadbolts; that windows are fully operable with no cracked or broken panes; and that the heating system, plumbing and gas lines are in good working order. Landlords must also certify that elevated, exposed decks, balconies or walkways show no visible signs of sagging, leaning, or cracking and that they have no other defects that permit moisture to seep in and possibly deteriorate the structure.  In 2015, a balcony at the apartment complex formerly known as Library Gardens collapsed because moisture had seeped into the base of the balcony, resulting in the death of six Irish students.  

The City does not require owners to provide it with the certified checklist, instead, the owner must provide the Schedule A checklist to each tenant; this informs the tenant that the unit is certified as safe. The owner must also keep a copy of the form.  In order to completely fill out all elements of the Schedule A form, a tenant must allow the owner access to the unit once every year. If a tenant does not allow an owner into the unit to self-certify, the owner must then inform the City by submitting Schedule A to the RHSP office indicating that certification was not possible.  

The RHSP is part of the City’s existing program of conducting proactive inspections to randomly selected properties as well as inspections in response to complaints. During an inspection of a rental unit or room, the property owner is required to produce a copy of the completed ScheduleA form. If the owner fails to produce a copy of the form, the inspector may issue the owner a citation and a $200 fine, for not being in compliance with Berkeley Municipal Code (BMC) 12.48.050.

There are, however, exceptions to the owner self-certification requirement: newly constructed rental units are exempt for five years after the issuance of a certification of occupancy; additionally, once a unit or room has been inspected by the City, and the owner receives a Notice of Compliance, the unit or room does not need to be certified again for a period of three years.

Tenants living in units that have safety issues, such as broken windows or leaky roofs may make an inspection request to the City’s Housing Code Enforcement unit.

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Berkeley Tenants Union Membership Meeting/Relaunch
When: Monday, June 3, 6-8:30PM
Where: Sports Basement (2727 Milvia St., Berkeley, California 94703; located in South Berkeley)
Facebook event:www.facebook.com/events/1656290374677685/

Join the Berkeley Tenants Union on June 3 (6-8:30PM) at Sports Basement in South Berkeley (2727 Milvia St, Berkeley, CA 94703) for a general membership meeting/relaunch of BTU! Whether you were previously a member of BTU or are interested in joining for the first time, you won’t want to miss this great meeting.

A formal agenda will be announced closer to the meeting date, but topics will include:

An introduction to the Berkeley Tenants Union
California Senate Bill 529 (Tenant Right to Organize/Protecting Tenant Voices Advocacy) and forming building associations
Information about the Berkeley Rent Board, including what protections and services it offers for tenants in both rent controlled and non-rent controlled in building, as well as your rights as a tenant in general
Information about counseling services
A question and answer period (e.g. “What happens if my landlord does X?”)
How to get more involved with BTU

If you want to help us get the word out to tenants about this important meeting, please email info at berkeleytenants dot org. We are especially looking for volunteers to hand out our flyers and talk to tenants about this meeting. The Berkeley Tenants Union is volunteer led and membership supported. We are only as strong as our members.