daily californian logo

BERKELEY'S NEWS • MARCH 22, 2023

Welcome to the (March) Madness! Read more here

Berkeley City Council votes on measure to strengthen eviction moratorium

article image

SUNNY SHEN | FILE

The current city moratorium lightly penalizes property owners who institute late fees, lock out tenants or threaten renters. The City Council voted on a stricter moratorium that, if passed, would strengthen renters’ protections from eviction during the pandemic. 

SUPPORT OUR NONPROFIT NEWSROOM

We're an independent student-run newspaper, and need your support to maintain our coverage.

|

Staff

DECEMBER 08, 2020

About two million California residents were behind on rent payments in August, a UC Berkeley study by campus professor Carolina Reid estimated.

The study was conducted using Household Pulse survey data, which found that 600,000 households were behind on rent, according to Reid. She added that to support those at risk for eviction from not paying rent, more needs to be done in addition to the eviction moratorium.

“Ultimately we need the federal government to step in with direct support to households who have lost jobs due to COVID,” Reid said in an email. 

Berkeley Tenants Union secretary Matthew Lewis said the City Council voted Tuesday on an eviction moratorium that would strengthen renters’ protections from eviction during the pandemic. 

The measure would halt Ellis Act evictions, which are intended to be used when a property owner wants to take a rental unit off the market, according to Lewis. He added that the act is “abused” and sometimes used to evict tenants for other reasons.

“Currently, landlords can only evict you for health and safety or the Ellis Act,” Lewis said. “We’re seeing that being used by landlords to evict for some other reasons, such as nonpayment of rent. There are various COVID-19 related reasons for not making rent.”

The current city moratorium has “weak” penalties for property owners who institute late fees, lock out tenants or threaten renters, according to 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 would not take effect until February due to restrictions in a statewide moratorium that prevents property owners from taking tenants to court, according to Lewis.

Lewis added that the city measure would not apply to UC Berkeley housing, such as residence halls and University Village in Albany, because they are state-run entities.

“This doesn’t help students in dorms,” Lewis said. “So the city can’t do much to protect students, but the state government and federal government can.”

Lewis said he hopes Reid’s research will galvanize the state government to strengthen laws protecting tenant rights. 

Matt Brown, acting executive director for Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, said only one building in Berkeley has initiated Ellis Act eviction proceedings during the pandemic. He added that the paperwork was not filled out correctly, and no other cases of eviction have been brought to the rent board.

“Berkeley City Council has done a really good job at adapting and drafting policy for protecting folks at risk of displacement,” Brown said. “They’ve been very responsible, but the social safety net cannot protect everyone, but they’re doing the best to protect the most vulnerable.”

Corrections: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Matthew Lewis is a member of the Berkeley Tenants' Union. In fact, he is the secretary.
Contact Leon Chen at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @leonwchen.
LAST UPDATED

DECEMBER 09, 2020


Related Articles

featured article
During its regular meeting Tuesday, Berkeley City Council discussed the city’s budget and eviction moratorium, among other topics.
During its regular meeting Tuesday, Berkeley City Council discussed the city’s budget and eviction moratorium, among other topics.
featured article
Candidates Leah Simon-Weisberg, Andy Kelley, Xavier Johnson, Dominique Walker and Mari Mendonca are leading the race for Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board as of press time, where they will work to regulate rent, provide tenants with protections and maintain affordable housing.
Candidates Leah Simon-Weisberg, Andy Kelley, Xavier Johnson, Dominique Walker and Mari Mendonca are leading the race for Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board as of press time, where they will work to regulate rent, provide tenants with protections and maintain affordable housing.
featured article
The Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board unanimously appointed Matthew Brown as acting executive director Tuesday, after former executive director James Kelekian was placed on paid administrative leave, as first reported by Berkeleyside.
The Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board unanimously appointed Matthew Brown as acting executive director Tuesday, after former executive director James Kelekian was placed on paid administrative leave, as first reported by Berkeleyside.
featured article