Tag: Tenant Opportunity To Purchase Act

By Posted on Posted in Actions

Update: Thursday March 18 is now the day TOPA will be before the City Council’s Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Committee at 10:30AM.

This Thursday, the Berkeley City Council’s Land Use Committee will hold a final hearing on The Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). Now is the time to get involved!

ACTION: Write to PolicyCommittee@cityofberkeley.info today to express your support. “I stand with the Berkeley Tenants Union in expressing enthusiasm for the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.”

If all goes as planned, the City Council will vote on this at their April 20th meeting.

Berkeley’s TOPA is the first ordinance of its kind in the state of California, but other places have tried this model – and it works! Washington DC passed a similar law in 2002; that law has preserved over 3500 units of affordable housing in the capital.

The desperate opposition is hyperbolically claiming TOPA will “seize your private property.” While for those without property, that may not seem like a bad idea – it’s just not true! The new law would just give renters AN OPTION to pay market price before their homes are sold to a new landlord. But it also SETS UP HELP for a group of renters to buy, including the opportunity to work with affordable housing groups who may fund some of the cost, and access to special loans.

As BTU member and Berkeley leader Igor Tregub put it, TOPA “reflects core Berkeley values such as cooperative ownership, democratic control, and the empowerment of underserved communities.” It is supported by Mayor Arreguin, and the East Bay Community Law Center has done substantial work shepherding the law through its five-year process to this point – where we almost have it!

ACTION: Give public comment at the March 4th hearing via Zoom!
When: Thursday, March 4, 10:30am
Where: Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Meeting – The Zoom link will be posted on this web page.

Read the draft of the law by opening the agenda when it is posted tonight: https://tinyurl.com/1myw6260

Talking Points, and More:
https://yes2topa.org/
https://ebclc.org/topa/

You can also let your neighbors know that you support TOPA by requesting a window or lawn sign, just email yes2topa@gmail.com to request your signs today.

By Posted on Posted in Issues

The next meeting will be Saturday, February 13 at 5:00 PM on the Zoom platform, online. Members will be sent an email about the meeting. Agenda items will be sent out soon, but the major topic of this meeting will be the status of the local eviction moratorium.

To become a member, contact Berkeley Tenants Union by email. Dues are on a sliding scale and can be paid in a number of different ways. Members are eligible for our monthly counseling sessions as well as a strong say about what issues the organization chooses for action. Ask to see the BTU by-laws for more information.

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.

Also, please share this Facebook link to our meeting, or a link to this post – let’s build our numbers and bring more power to the people!
https://fb.me/e/3KLr3BzA5

Berkeley Tenants Are Organizing!
“The current city moratorium has “weak” penalties for property owners who institute late fees, lock out tenants or threaten renters, according to (a Berkeley Tenants Union leader) Lewis. He said crucial parts of the measure, such as amendments to include renters’ rights on eviction notices, were removed Nov. 17. If the stricter moratorium passes, it will not take effect until February 2021 due to restrictions in a statewide moratorium that prevents property owners from taking tenants to court, according to Lewis.”
https://www.dailycal.org/2020/12/08/berkeley-city-council-votes-on-measure-to-strengthen-eviction-moratorium/

Berkeley Landlords Are Organizing Too!
“There are multiple Eviction Moratoriums in effect during this pandemic. Berkeley’s Eviction Moratorium currently prohibits any type of eviction during the local state of emergency and dictates how rent not paid during the pandemic is to be handled. The state’s Eviction Moratorium (AB 3088 effective Sept 1 to Jan 31) is currently being modified at the legislature. We expect the moratorium will be extended through June of 2021, as well as continue to defer the 25% payment of rent until then. BPOA is working to provide guidance as to how the state’s extension will interact with our local Eviction Moratorium.”
https://www.bpoa.org/

City of Berkeley’s COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium Factsheet
https://berkeleytenants.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Covid-19-Tenant-Factsheet_4-07-2020-1.pdf

Rent Board Info on Local Protections
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Rent_Stabilization_Board/Home/Can_t_Pay_Rent_Due_to_COVID-19_.aspx

Apartment Owners’ Thoughts on the Moratorium
https://caanet.org/kb/berkeley-eviction-moratorium-caa-summary/

Your Rights Under the State Law
https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/consumer-law-economic-justice/projects/consumer-protection-guides-covid-19/issue-i-tenants-rights-covid-19/

Weak Federal Protections Extended by Biden
“At President Biden’s direction, the eviction moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been extended to March 31. But tens of millions of people owing back rent may be forced out of their homes even with the extension. After months of wrangling, Congress allocated $25 billion in rental assistance.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/opinion/eviction-crisis-moratorium.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

July 2020 Summary of Local Law
https://patch.com/california/berkeley/berkeley-eviction-protections-renters-struggling-due-coronavirus-1

Other News
The East Bay Community Law Center is working with City of Berkeley leaders to establish a housing policy called the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Learn more about TOPA here:
https://ebclc.org/topa/