Category: News You Can Use

A Letter From Faith in Action About What We Can All Do to Help During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Dear Friends,

This week, the reality of the worldwide health crisis is hitting home for all of us in San Mateo County. As faith leaders across many traditions, we share the fundamental truth that our values are built on the foundation of the interdependence of all human beings––a truth that is becoming clear right now in painful ways.

[OP-ED] Public land for the greatest public good

In November of 2019, a revised vision was unveiled for the publicly owned land at the north end of Burlingame, a parcel of 6.42 acres under the jurisdiction of the Peninsula Health Care District. Clearly the new plan has moved the needle in the direction of the public good. But there is still a lot more that can be done to achieve the utmost public good.

The initial proposal was for a senior community that included 375 apartments, 90% at market rate and 10% minimally discounted. The new proposal includes a total of 477 senior apartments, with 39 percent affordable at lower-income levels.

But why not 100 percent?

[EVENT] San Mateo City Council Meeting on Emergency Ordinance to Protect Tenants

This Monday night, the San Mateo City Council will discuss an emergency ordinance very similar to the ones passed unanimously in Redwood City and Daly City. This emergency ordinance would make the provisions of AB 1482—the rent cap and ban on unjust evictions—effective immediately. This way landlords cannot continue to take advantage of the time between now and January 1st (when AB 1482 goes into effect throughout the state) to hit tenants will extreme rent increases and unjust evictions.

It’s very important that we show up Monday night to make sure that the Council does what is in their power to smooth the road forward for tenants.

Will California protect tenants?

A good read from Randy Shaw of the San Francisco Tenderloin Housing Clinic on the merits of AB 1482: “Will California protect tenants?”
In 2019, Oregon’s legislature reversed its rent control and just cause ban and passed a statewide rent cap and just cause eviction law. New York’s legislature greatly strengthened New York City’s rent control law and shifted control of the law from the state to the city.
California, the state with the worst affordability and the bluest state legislature, needs to follow this path. With a Democratic Governor backing AB 1482 and a Democratic super-majority in the Legislature, a California Democrat Party that walked the talk on economic fairness would pass the bill in a heartbeat.
But the California real estate industry has the same vice grip over California Democratic legislatures that the NRA has over GOP U.S. Senators. In both cases the actual merits of legislation are not important; instead, it’s all about sticking to the real estate/NRA line.