Activism
Fourth Street East Tenants on Partial Rent Strike Against Carmel Partners
After being denied amenities and suffering from financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 60 tenants who live in Fourth Street East, a luxury apartment tower in Jack London Square, have banded together to collectively seek demands and withhold some of their rent from Carmel Partners, the multi-billion dollar corporation that owns the condos and collects their rent.
“They’re a huge corporation that could afford to cut tenants a break,” said Henry Clifton*, a 4th Street East tenant. “A powerful corporation like this is in a position where they can at least not take advantage of their tenants, kick them while they’re down, and keep charging them for amenities that they’re not getting.”
Clifton moved to Oakland two years ago after landing a job as a designer. The Fourth Street East residence sparked his interest because it offered amenities including a pool, jacuzzi, co-working lounge, a gym, roof-top BBQ area, and a game room. Months after he moved in, the promised amenities still were not available. Then, when COVID-19 hit, they were suddenly shut down.
“They’re probably saving money on heating the pool, heating the jacuzzi, running all the exercise equipment,” said Clifton. “But instead of us getting that reflected in our rent, they’re just collecting the full rent.”
Clifton’s expenses have gone up because he’s now working from home, which causes his utilities to rise. After a partner moved out, he’s paying the full $4,050 per month for his one-bedroom apartment. As rents have lowered in the area, he wants to break his lease. But doing so is expensive, due, in part, to having to return discounts offered at move-in, he calculates that it would cost him about $20,000 to break it.
Joy Khoo, who has lived in Oakland for five years and is self-employed, suddenly lost about 70% of her income when she lost a client due to COVID-19. Like Clifton, the amenities at Fourth Street East attracted her and she asked for a rent reduction when they were no longer available. She, too, wants to break her lease, but can not afford it.
“Everywhere else in the market the rents are going down,” said Khoo. “I just want a little break.”
After she inquired, Greystar, the company that works for Carmel Partners to manage Fourth Street East, allowed her to transfer her lease to another person if she could find someone. But as prices in Fourth Street East condos have fallen due to COVID-19, it has been impossible for her to find a person to take over the $2,800 per month rent for her studio. Their website currently shows at least 60 vacant units, over 18% of the total units at the location.
Starting Sept. 1, Clifton and Khoo are withholding 25% of their rent. Other tenants are withholding up to 50%. They, along with 64 other tenants in the building, are part of the Forth Street East Tenants Association (FSETA). To get the word out, FSETA put flyers around the building in mid-August, but they said an employee of Greystar took many of them down.
FSETA has worked with Bay Area Tenants and Neighborhood Councils (TANC) to help them get advice about dealing with Carmel Partners and Greystar. TANC has also helped other local tenants who have the same landlord organize and make collective demands.
One of them is SMC Tenants Council, whose landlord, Neill Sullivan, has purchased over 350 properties. SMC Tenants Council complains that Sullivan neglects units with lower rents. They currently have many tenants on total rent strike who are demanding rent cancellation for those who are suffering financial loss due to the pandemic.
“Working with TANC has been really supportive,” Khoo said.
In addition to losing amenities, tenants have complained of other problems, many of them relating to Greystar not communicating when they complain of issues. Aliyah Harris*, who has lived in Fourth Street East since its inception in late 2018, has a lease that is ending soon and is glad to be moving on.
“This is not a place I would want to continue to live in,” she said. “It’s been really horrible. The lack of communication has been the biggest concern.”
Harris has complained that the elevator has been inoperable for extended periods of time as well as her garbage disposal but never received a response from Greystar. There have been workout classes in a courtyard by her unit at noon on weekdays with an instructor who loudly amplifies his voice. She said it disturbs her and others that work from home and suggested to Greystar that they move the class to the rooftop, but has not received a response.
In the past, Clifton and Khoo say that Greystar would only respond in a timely manner if tenants give them a bad Yelp review. Clifton said they have also offered rewards for good Yelp reviews.
The tenants have had more success by addressing Greystar collectively. They sent out an e-mail on Aug. 24 and received a response on Aug. 29. Since then, some amenities have slowly opened but in restricted ways that make it hard for tenants to access them. Rent has not been reduced.
“As the closure of these amenity spaces has been entirely out of our control,” wrote Greystar Senior Community Manager Kelsey Montano in the Aug. 29 e-mail, “we are not providing any discounts to rent.”
Three days later, on Sept.1, 66 tenants, about 20-25% of the Fourth Street East’s total current tenants, withheld at least 25% of their rent. They plan to continue to do so next month.
The Oakland Post e-mailed Carmel Partners and Greystar for comment on this news story. Greystar did not respond. Peter Jakel, the vice president of Strategy for LinnellTaylor Marketing, a public relations company, responded on behalf of Carmel Partners.
He emphasized that Carmel Partners share “residents’ frustrations with the incredible impact of COVID-19” and said that, where possible, they have opened amenities such as the “pool, roof-top deck, courtyard, conference rooms, pet spa, and DIY workshop.”
Jakel did not respond to the question: “Given COVID-19, why hasn’t rent been reduced for tenants?” He did not comment on rent reductions due to all amenities being closed for extended periods of time.
He addressed financial questions in the following statement “We have been especially mindful of residents who have suffered financial or health-related hardship due to COVID-19, and are being very flexible during these difficult times. We are not evicting any residents or charging any late fees, and we have provided flexible payment plan options and negotiated lease terminations to reduce balances owed.”
Current federal law forbids Carmel Partners from evicting tenants for non-payment of rent until Dec. 31.
Since Carmel Partners own condo complexes in major cities all across the country, Clifton is doubtful that measures taken so far will have much of an economic affect on them. He is hoping the FSETA can spread the partial rent strike to Carmel Partner’s housing units in other locations.
“If we get 10% of all of Carmel Partner’s places to do it then maybe that will affect their bottom line,” he said.
*Henry Clifton is a pseudonym. We did not use his real name because he feared retaliation from Carmel Partners and/or Greystar. Aliyah Harris is also a pseudonym.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Who are the Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Candidates’ Top Campaign Contributors?
Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.
By Zack Haber
Nate Miley, who has served on Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors since 2000, is running for reelection to the District 4 supervisor seat.
Jennifer Esteen, a nurse and activist, is seeking to unseat him and become one of the five members of the powerful board that sets the county’s budget, governs its unincorporated areas, and oversees the sheriff, Alameda Health System, and mental health system.
District 4 includes most of East Oakland’s hills and flatlands beyond Fruitvale, part of Pleasanton and unincorporated areas south of San Leandro like Ashland and Castro Valley.
Voting is open and will remain open until March 5.
In California, campaign donations of $100 or more are public record. The records show that Miley has received about $550,000 in total campaign donations since he won the previous District 4 election in March 2020. Esteen has raised about $255,000 in total campaign donations since she started collecting them last July. All figures are accurate through Feb. 20.
While Miley has raised more money, Esteen has received donations from more sources. Miley received donations of $100 or more from 439 different sources. Esteen received such donations from 507 different sources.
Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.
Nate Miley’s top campaign contributors:
The California Apartment Association, a trade group representing landlords and investors in California’s rental housing business, has spent about $129,500 supporting Miley’s election bid through about $59,500 in ads against Esteen, $55,000 in ads supporting Miley, and $15,000 in campaign donations.
The independent expenditure committee Preserve Agriculture in Alameda County has spent about $46,025 supporting Miley through about $27,200 in their own ads, and $18,825 in donations to his campaign. Preserve Agriculture has supported reelection efforts for former Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley, and Sheriff Greg Ahern, a republican. It’s received funding from Chevron, PG&E, and a the California Apartment Association.
Organizations associated with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, have donated about $35,000 in total. Construction and General Laborers Local 304, a local chapter of the union representing which represents over 4,000 workers, donated $20,000.
Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition, which represents 70,000 LiUNA members in Arizona, California, Hawaii and New Mexico, donated $15,000.
William ‘Bill’ Crotinger and the East Oakland-based company Argent Materials have donated $26,000. Crotinger is the president and founder of Argent, a concrete and asphalt recycling yard. Argent’s website says it is an eco-friendly company that diverts materials from landfills. In 2018, Argent paid the EPA $27,000 under a settlement for committing Clean Water Act violations.
Michael Morgan of Hayward, owner of We Are Hemp, a marijuana dispensary in Ashland, has donated $21,500.
Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert has donated $21,250 from his 2024 reelection campaign. He’s running unopposed for the District 1 seat.
SEIU 1021, which represents over 60,000 workers in local governments, non-profit agencies, healthcare programs, and schools in Northern California, has donated $20,000.
UA Local 342, which represents around 4,000 pipe trades industry workers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, donated $20,000.
The union representing the county’s deputy sheriffs, Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Alameda County, has donated $17,000.
Becton Healthcare Resources and its managers have donated $14,625. Becton’s mission statement says it provides “behavioral health management services to organizations and groups that serve the serious and persistent mentally ill population.”
Jennifer Esteen’s top campaign contributors:
Mary Quinn Delaney of Piedmont, founder of Akonadi Foundation, has donated $20,000. Akonadi Foundation gives grants to nonprofit organizations, especially focusing on racial justice organizing,
Bridget Galli of Castro Valley has donated $7,000. Galli is a yoga instructor and a co-owner of Castro Valley Yoga.
Rachel Gelman of Oakland has donated $5,000. Gelman is an activist who has vowed to redistribute her inherited wealth to working class, Indigenous and Black communities.
California Worker Families Party has donated $5,000. The organization’s website describes itself as a “grassroots party for the multiracial working class.”
David Stern of Albany has donated $5,000. Stern is a retired UC Berkeley Professor of Education.
Oakland Rising Committee—a collaborative of racial, economic, and environmental justice organizations—has donated about $3,050.
Fredeke Von Bothmer-Goodyear, an unemployed resident of San Francisco, has donated $2,600.
Robert Britton of Castro Valley has donated $2,500. Britton is retired and worked in the labor movement for decades.
Progressive Era PAC has donated about $2,400. Its mission statement says it “exists to elect governing majorities of leaders in California committed to building a progressive era for people of color.”
East Bay Stonewall Democrats Club has donated $2,250. The club was founded in 1982 to give voice to the East Bay LGBTQIA+ communities.
-
Bay Area3 weeks ago
Opponents of San Francisco’s Prop E Hold Rally in Front of City Hall
-
Bay Area3 weeks ago
Nigerian Bank Chief Killed in Helicopter Crash on Way to Superbowl XVIII
-
Bay Area3 weeks ago
Who Are the Top Donors in the Alameda County District 5 Supervisor’s Race?
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Inheriting the Mantle: Who Will Carry the Legacy of John George?
-
Alameda County2 weeks ago
Michael P. Johnson Garners Major Support in Run for Alameda County Superior Court Judge
-
Bay Area3 weeks ago
Berkeley Considers New Law to Help Tenants Buy Where They Rent
-
Bay Area3 weeks ago
S.F. Board of Supervisors OKs Mayor Breed’s Streamlining Legislation to Speed Up New Residential Treatment, Care Beds
-
Activism2 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of February 28 – March 5, 2024