Renters in Alameda, Calif. try to block ‘manipulative’ charter change

Alameda renters and their supporters flock to city hall to demand genuine rent protection. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

ALAMEDA, California – Residential renters of this city and their supporters are trying to block what they claim is a “manipulative” charter amendment petition that pretends to be for rent control but would actually remove the just-cause eviction protection that the City Council passed in May this year.

Protesters in front of Alameda City Hall recently took turns lambasting efforts of landlords and real estate owners to undermine renters’ protections and mislead people with TV and radio advertisements.

In a message read for him, lone Filipino American California State Assembymember Rob Bonta, assured participants that he stood with them.

Alameda City renter Cynthia Bonta, mother of lone Filipino American California State Assemblymember Rob Bonta tells Filipino renters in Alameda City in Tagalog not to sign any papers that claim to protect them and that they have not really read in full. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

“You all really know that housing is the most critical issue facing our community, and I know that affordable housing is the number one concern as well,” Bonta’s message said.

“I want you to know that we have a commitment from the governor, Senate pro tempore and Assembly speaker to prioritize affordable housing when we come back to Sacramento. Families can be kicked out with no recourse and that is not right. There is so much at stake here. That is why we need just-cause protection. Your passionate fighting will take us there.”

Bonta’s mother, Cynthia, herself an Alameda renter and a fixture in protest actions, echoed her son’s message.

“This is our fight. Seventeen percent of Alameda population is Filipino. Many of us are renters. We need to be together in this. We have to step up and do something about it. We have to join with others in defeating the real estate industry. My fellow Filipinos, do not sign the petition for charter amendment entitled ‘A Proposed City of Alameda Charter Amendment Making the ‘City of Alameda Rent Review, Rent Stabilization, and Limitation Evictions Ordinance’ a Part of the Alameda City Charter – do not to lose your rights,” Cynthia, who spoke mostly in Tagalog, told her compatriots.

She warned that the proposed charter amendment is manipulative as it would make the absence of rent control permanent and landlords would be able evict renters for any reason.

Young resident Erin Subido who has lived practically all her life in Alameda vows to fight against unjust eviction and for genuine rent protection. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

“That is the whim of the landlords. They will make it appear in the petition that they are for rent control, but it really is to overturn the just-cause provision passed by the city council in May. So know your rights. Don’t let them fool you in getting your signatures. Don’t sign,” Cynthia lamented.

“I need to address our Filipino kababayans because I care about them. I want them to feel that they are part of Alameda, that what they do will determine what is going to happen to renters here,” she added.

Of the five members of the City Council, three were in favor of the provision for just cause that would have been in effect were it not for the signatures gathered by the landlords.

“Many of the signatures were a mistake because they fooled people into thinking it was for their good. A lot of people retracted their signatures because they can do that. We are still calling people to do that if they signed this second petition by mistake, which would make the current rent protections with no just cause permanent. So it is lesson for us to read and double check anything before we sign,” Sammy Gutierrez, youth counselor and civic engagement coordinator of Filipino Advocates for Justice, said.

Sammy Gutierrez, youth counselor and civic engagement coordinator of Filipino Advocates for Justice, rues that Alameda tenants, including Filipinos, continue being served eviction notices. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

The latest word from Gutierrez is that “many 470 Central tenants are being served eviction notices and some units have gotten summons. I have instructed the tenants to contact city council members and to reach out to the East Bay Community Law Center for help.”

“It sounds like the notices are 60-day eviction notices. They need to make a decision to either leave within 60 days or get an unlawful detainer and go to court,” Gutierrez texted.

Longtime youth resident Erin Subido, who has lived practically all her life in Alameda, expressed her support by joining the rally and participating in other protest activities.

“We are asking Alamedans not to sign this petition as the petition-seekers are lying by saying that they fighting for rent control but in reality they are trying to get rid of protections against unjust evictions,” Subido reiterated.