jay kelekian

Despite recent contrasting reports from national rental listing sites, rent prices in Berkeley are going up, according to research done by the city Rent Stabilization Board.

Berkeley will temporarily offer housing for hurricane victims at below-market rents because of a motion passed by the Rent Stabilization Board on Monday.

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín’s proposed budget for the fiscal years 2018-19 prioritizes funding for homelessness, affordable housing and a number of other city initiatives, according to an office press release issued Tuesday.

Katherine Harr, a longtime commissioner on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, submitted her letter of resignation Jan. 26, ending her term almost two years before she was set to leave office.

Stretching across the wall in Monica Ferguson’s entryway is an eight-foot hole. The hole has been a problem in Ferguson’s house since she first moved there in 2002, and her landlord had repaired it several times. At the first signs of rain last fall, Ferguson said the paint peeled back, reopening the hole and revealing 10 years of wood rot. This time, her landlord didn’t repair it.

With experiences ranging from counseling renters on how to navigate the rental market to helping oversee mediations between tenants and landlords, Jay Kelekian, executive director of the Rent Stabilization Board, has seen just about everything in Berkeley’s housing world.

On Tuesday, Berkeley City Council moved to return a permit to the city’s Zoning Adjustments Board, temporarily halting contentious plans to demolish an 18-unit rent-controlled building on Durant Avenue.

The Berkeley City Council voted at its meeting on Monday to form an ad hoc committee to investigate the listing of rent-controlled units on Airbnb, a company which allows users to book apartments and properties online.

An Alameda County Superior Court grand jury report was released Monday criticizing the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board for misconduct regarding fees charged by the board, hiring procedures and bias in favor of tenants.