San Francisco Tenants Union: Tenants and Renters Rights

Proposition 98 on the June ballot is disguised as a measure to reform eminent domain laws. The measure's real target, though, is rent control. It would repeal and ban any rent control, as well as other measures promoting affordable housing such as inclusionary affordable housing laws. The competing measure to save rent control--Proposition 99--lets voters choose real eminent domain reform, without any hidden agenda like rent control repeal. Proposition 99 also takes the eminent domain reform issue away from right-wing groups, which have been trying to use the eminent domain reform issue as a mask to attack consumer and environmental regulations. Plus Prop 99 has a poison pill, invalidating the rent control repeal measure is 99 wins.

Click here to get a form to fill out and send to Department of Elections. It will make you a permanent absentee voter, meaning a ballot will be mailed to you ahead of election day. This makes it easier to vote and harder to forget to vote.

California Supreme Court Decision Limits Landlord Liability For Wrongful Evictions

In yet another instance of Republican, activist judges protecting the wealthy & powerful, the California Supreme Court has ruled that landlords are shielded from liability for wrongful evictions. The court partially reversed an even more troubling Appeals Court decision which held landlords completely immune from wrongful eviction actions. Under the Supreme Court decision issued August 2, tenants will still be able to sue for wrongful eviction but will find it harder to do so. The court's ruling will mean more evictions of seniors and other long term tenants as landlords will have a greater ability to evict for causes like landlord move in, even when the landlord never intends to live there. Read Beyond Chron article for more analysis.

Ellis Act Amendment SB 464 Fails; Measure Would Have Required 3 Year Ownership Before Ellising

SB 464, lacking just 2 votes, has been extended to a 2 year bill--meaning that it has failed to win Senate approval this year, but will be taken up again next year. Bay area legislators--except for for Sen. Simitian (D-Palo Alto) supported this measure. SF Sen. Leland Yee agreed to to support this measure after initially being undecided.

State Senator Sheila Kuehl (LA) along, with co-sponsor SF Sen. Carole , introduced the amendment (SB 464) to the Ellis Act which would have significantly curtailed evictions under Ellis. The amendment would have required that a landlord own the property for at least 3 years (initially 5 years, but amended down trying to get the votes) before they can evict tenants under the Ellis Act. This would stop speculators from using the Ellis Act--speculators do most of the Ellis evictions in San Francisco. A report done by the SFTU last year, for example, found that 1/4 of all Ellis evictions were done within the first month of ownership and that over half were done within the first 6 months of ownership. Overall, 80% of the Ellises were done by landlords who had owned the building for less than 5 years. Besides the ownership requirement, the Kuehl amendment would have mandated that all tenants in a building get a 1 year notice if there is a senior or disabled tenant in the building. Since over 80% of the buildings Ellised have at least one senior or disabled tenant, this will effectively extend the 1 year notice to nearly all tenants.

City Attorney Sues Skyline/Citi Apartments Violations Range From Harassment & Intimidation of Tenants to Illegal Conversion of Rental Units

City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed suit against one of the largest residential landlords and property managers in San Francisco today, alleging an egregious pattern of unlawful and unfair business practices whereby rental units were illegally recovered from tenants; renovated in clear violation of building and safety codes; and then unlawfully relet at dramatically increased rental rates -- occasionally as short-term corporate housing, representing still another violation of local law. The litigation against Skyline Realty, Inc., CitiApartments, Inc., and nine named subsidiary limited liability companies follows a months-long investigation by the City Attorney's Office, and details a shocking panoply of corporate lawlessness, intimidation tactics, and retaliation against residents

.
"The facts revealed by my office's investigation demonstrate very clearly that the owners of Skyline Realty and CitiApartments made a calculated business decision to operate in violation of the law ?- and to do so consistently," Herrera said. "Given its dominant market position and web of subsidiaries, Skyline's illicit business practices do not merely victimize tenants, they cheat the vast majority of law-abiding landlords with whom they compete unfairly. Their business conduct is egregious, it is pervasive, it is illegal, and it will not be countenanced in San Francisco's rental marketplace."

According to the complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court this morning, Skyline and CitiApartments employed frequently harrowing tactics to intimidate tenants into surrendering their rent controlled tenancies, including unannounced visits by armed paramilitary-like agents; unauthorized entry into rental units; shutting off utilities without notice and for extended periods; changing locks and depriving tenants of keys; and retaliating against tenants who refused to accept offered buy-outs. Once in control of vacated units, Herrera's complaint alleges, Skyline undertook occasionally extensive construction and remodeling work without bothering to obtain requisite permits, or to risk any of the inspections necessary to assure compliance with state and local safety and building codes. (Reprinted from Beyond Chron)

If you are a tenant of Skyline (or one of their affiliates) click here for tips on how to handle them. Also, join with other tenants to fight Skyline's dirty tactics: see the Skyline Tenant Union web site. Or, call the SFTU Skyline number: 282-6656 to plug into the campaign or if you have a horror story which might be useful to legal and legislative action (NOTE: this is not a counseling number. If you need help with an ongoing problem, come into the SFTU drop in tenants rights counseling clinic.