Community

Uncontested Evictions Fuel Bay Area Housing Crisis

Published

9 years ago

May 11, 2015

San Francisco’s eviction rate has increased by over 54 percent in the past five years and is currently at the highest rate within the last decade, according to a new report produced by the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition.

These evictions are occurring in the midst of a housing crisis, in which rent prices have dramatically increased. In the last year alone, rents in San Francisco have risen by 12.8 percent, and by 10.5 percent in Oakland, according to a report from Forbes.

<p><p>The combined impacts of higher eviction rates and rental prices have led to a wave of displacements. To make matters worse, changes that occur in the San Francisco housing and rental market create a “ripple” throughout the Bay region, explained Sara Shortt, executive director of the Housing Rights Committee.

“The entire Bay Area is struggling with eviction problems,” she said. “As tenants from San Francisco become evicted and displaced, they often wind up in Oakland. And that raises Oakland’s rent, which continues the cycle.”

Another part of the problem is that, “Many tenants self-evict; it’s a term we use to describe a tenant who flees from fear, not allowing the court process to play out,” said Shortt. “They get a notice, and they pack up and move. In that sense, they have not been formally evicted.”

Shortt continued, “An eviction notice is not the same as an eviction. You actually have to go to court, and get a judgement. In many of these cases, we believe that renters would have been able to stay.”

“Most importantly what we need to do is deter speculation, that’s the root of many of these evictions,” she said. “There are a number of tools that we can use locally to remove profits from the process.”

“We had Proposition G in 2014 that would have set taxes for any profits made from evictions. Unfortunately it did not pass, but that kind of idea still needs to be implemented,” Shortt said.

During the campaign, the National Association of Realtors contributed $800,000 to fight against Prop G. The California Association of Realtors donated $425,000, and the San Francisco Association of Realtors devoted $170,000.

“Essentially, one of the biggest parts of the problem is property flipping. So anything that would remove the huge amounts of gain from buying a property and reselling it quickly would help curb evictions,” Shortt said.

Many evictions in the City fall under the Ellis Act, which was passed in 1985. The law was originally designed to provide landlords and property owners an easy way out of the rental business.

According to Shortt, the system has now become corrupted and strayed from its original intent, and mostly utilized by property speculators.

She concluded by saying the report released by the Anti-Displacement Coalition was intended to inform renters about possible recourse when facing an eviction, emphasizing that people who receive eviction notices should seek local housing rights agencies for help and legal advice.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

14 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.