Tag: state law

By Posted on Posted in Issues

Affordable Housing Forum January 21
BTU, in conjunction with Berkeley Citizens Action, Progressive Student Association, and CalSERVE, are hosting an event on affordable housing, with guest speakers including Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Councilmember Kate Harrison, and Rent Board Commissioner Leah Simon-Weisberg. Topics include rent control expansions, student housing, and the newly proposed state law, SB827, which would take away more local control over large for-profit housing developments. At the library Sunday the 21st, from 2pm-4pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/213062839239569/

Counselor Training February 7 and 8th
Our friends at Tenants Together are offering a Tenants Rights Counselor Training. They cover state law, and refer renters with Berkeley-specific problems to us or the Rent Board. Taking their training or volunteering on their hotline is a great first step toward counseling for BTU. Right now, BTU has only one person answering questions from renters. Help us help Berkeley tenants!
Contact Sara (415) 495-8100

BTU on Campus Thursday February 8th
Cal Dems and the Progressive Student Association have invited BTU to discuss housing issues at 8pm. The location on campus is TBD, so check the Facebook event. This meeting is open to both students and non-students.
https://www.facebook.com/events/213062839239569/

Tenants Endorsement Meeting February 11
Meet all nine candidates for the open Assembly race for District 15. Pamela Price, challenger for Alameda County District Attorney, will also be present. While this event is open to all, you must be a member of BTU who has attended at least one other meeting in the past year and have paid dues in order to vote. Sunday February 11, 2 to 6 pm at South Berkeley Senior Center.

2018 Tenant Convention
Planning has begun for largest tenant gathering in Berkeley, the biannual convention to choose a united team to run for Berkeley Rent Board. Contact BTU if you are interested in being a candidate, and follow developments about this year’s meeting on the tcon website:
http://berkeleytenantsconvention.net/

Your Name Here
I moved away from Berkeley but so far no one at BTU has stepped up to manage the website, and no one is really sending me any content. Does someone in Berkeley want to take on this task for BTU?

By Posted on Posted in Actions

Repealing Costa Hawkins would solve a lot of problems for Berkeley.

This state law gives landlords the right to jack the rent upon vacancy, bans local laws to regulate rents on any post-1996 construction, and exempts single-family homes and condos from rent control too. To get the state to repeal Costa Hawkins is the first step to making rent control cover all rentals and work for all renters.

California Assembly Members Bloom (Santa Monica), Chiu (San Francisco), and Bonta (Oakland) introduced AB 1506 in February – the bill as currently written would repeal the 1996 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

The Berkeley Rent Board voted to support this bill in March; City Council votes tonight.

To repeal Costa-Hawkins would also mean Berkeley can have the kind of rent control Berkeley voters wanted: the rent would not go up astronomically when a new tenant moves in. This means landlords have less motive for bogus evictions, tenants can afford to move as their lifestyle changes, and speculators are discouraged from using housing as a short-term investment.

Berkeley Tenants Union leaders considered postponing any support for the bill because too many changes could happen before the state legislature actually votes – two years from now! But upon advice from Tenants Together (we are a member organization of this statewide group) and because we saw a “Red Alert” to members of the mega-landlord group BPOA, we are asking that you TAKE ACTION!

Right now, AB1506 is at the Committee on Housing and Community Development.
No hearing date has been set.

1) Ask the sponsor Bloom to pledge not to amend AB 1506 by calling (916) 319-2050. Say you ask that Costa Hawkins be repealed, not amended.

2) Use this form to write our state reps:
http://tenantstogether.org/campaigns/repeal-costa-hawkins-rental-housing-act

3) Post a link to this BTU post on Social Media and ask friends in Santa Monica to also telephone Bloom.

City Council May Support AB1506 April 4
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2017/04_Apr/Documents/2017-04-04_Item_09__Support_of_AB_1506__Repeal_of_Costa-Hawkins.aspx

More on Costa Hawkins
Berkeley Property Owners debate Rent Board Staff on KALW
http://kalw.org/post/debating-costa-hawkins-should-we-strengthen-or-shrink-rent-control-laws#stream/0

History Lesson: How Costa Changed Berkeley
http://www.tenant.net/Other_Areas/Calif/berkeley/ca-leg/ab1164.html

The Law Itself Is Really Hard to Read
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=9516

Track Changes to This Bare Bones Bill Here:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1506

REMINDER: CONTACT ASSEMBLY MEMBER BLOOM TODAY!

By Posted on Posted in Issues

co-detectTwo Berkeley renters died last week in a case of carbon monoxide poisoning.

News reports did not say if the building’s owner was required to have installed a carbon monoxide detector, but BTU thought this would be a good time to remind all renters that MOST apartments have been required by state law to have CO detectors since 2013. Single-family and duplex homes were required to have the alarms as of July 2011.

Carbon monoxide does not smell. CO alarms are required on every floor, including basements, and should be placed in hallways outside of bedrooms. The law applies only to homes and buildings that have a gas heater or appliance, fireplace or attached garage. It is the renter’s responsibility to check and replace batteries.

Smoke detectors are required in all units.

Poison Gas May Have Come from 3D Printer
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/27/source-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-killed-berkeley-couple/

More on Deaths at 3028 Deakin Fourplex
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/02/03/berkeley-police-carbon-monoxide-caused-death-couple-cats/

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/01/28/carbon-monoxide-laser-cutter-may-caused-mysterious-deaths-berkeley-home/

500 People Die Each Year
“Because it is not a disease that requires reporting for record keeping, it is difficult to find statistics on how many illnesses and deaths occur from carbon monoxide poisoning in the Bay Area. But about 500 people die and 20,000 are injured each year nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In San Francisco, Pacific Gas & Electric crews have responded to 757 carbon monoxide investigation calls so far in 2012, said utility spokesman Joe Molica.”
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Monoxide-detector-rules-expand-Jan-1-4079115.php

Where to Place Detectors
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Planning_and_Development/Housing_Code_Enforcement/Carbon_Monoxide_Devices.asp