For now, a stalemate in Oakland on items that would negatively impact rental housing providers.

At one time, San Francisco and Berkeley were home to the most pernicious regulations for landlords to follow but over time, Oakland has outdone its neighbors and looks like it can hold the title of being the greatest bastion of tenant protections anywhere.

Before his term expires, the President of the Oakland Community & Economic Development Committee (CED), Dan Kalb, wants to tinker further with landlord-tenant relationships. He’ll have to wait for the time being.

In a recent CED meeting, Councilmembers Jenkins and Gallo voted the initiatives down, with Fife and Kalb open to continuing the conversation at the next CED meeting on November 19th. With a 2-2 tie, then, the Committee has kicked the can down the road, but it’s not over yet. We haven't heard the last of this.

Here’s what’s on the wish list of Kalb and others in the camp of tenants’ advocates:

  • Reduce the banking of CPI rent increases to 4 years and eliminate banked rent increases after the sale/transfer of property, negating rent increases between owners and their tenants already set, sure to decline property values by wiping out all banked increases as tangible value.

  • Ban owners from rent increases, no-fault evictions, and participating in Rent Adjustment Program (RAP) petitions, putting landlords in an exclusive club of businesses unable to increase prices because of a dispute relating to tax delinquency.

  • Extend tenant petitions from 90 days to 180 days, unnecessarily prolonging the process and giving more opportunity to build a list of grievances against landlords with many of the claims being frivolous and brought forth by attorneys representing tenants at no charge.

  • Expand a no-smoking ban that is duplicative of California state law that has proved to be challenging to enforce.

We thank our industry partners at the East Bay Rental Housing Association for staying on top of this and their members for expressing their opposition to these onerous measures. We trust that like-minded property owners in Oakland will engage with lawmakers and make their voices heard.