Oakland Mayor Schaaf moves to protect tenants
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf — facing mounting pressure to beef up building safety and shield warehouse artists from eviction — took the unusual step Wednesday of endorsing a measure by one of her political foes.
The measure by city Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan would strengthen tenant protections by nearly doubling the relocation fee property owners must pay residential occupants they evict on grounds that they must repair code violations.
The proposed ordinance is especially timely as property owners have been evicting tenants from non-permitted housing and live-work spaces in the wake of the Dec. 2 Ghost Ship fire, which killed 36 people at a music event in a non-permitted warehouse.
“This is intended to protect the many vulnerable communities that live in Oakland, and that live in fear because of this unprecedented affordability crisis,” Schaaf told The Chronicle.
Relocation fees apply to residents of nonpermitted housing as well as to people living in legal spaces that have been poorly maintained.
The proposed ordinance would raise payments to $6,500 for a studio or one-bedroom unit, and $8,000 for a two-bedroom unit.
“Code compliance has been used as an excuse to oust tenants so that the property owner can renovate the building and then rent it out to people with a higher income,” Kaplan said.
Schaaf threw her support behind the ordinance as she rolled out an executive order to achieve two pressing political goals: to ensure warehouse safety, but avoid displacing tenants at all costs.
Schaaf urges building owners to cure those violations without giving tenants the boot.