Long road to tenant protections in the unincorporateds ends with a whimper

Just Cause tenant protections, mandatory mediation ordinances come before Board of Supes; Literally all the IE spending in coming from Oakland; How many times did your state legislator play hooky?

COUNTY NEWS

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

—JUST BE-CAUSE—After years of often fruitless negotiations, tenants in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County are likely to receive the bare minimum when it comes to much sought-after Just Cause protections.

—After years of deadlocked and bitter negotiations with housing providers, a proposed Just Cause Ordinance comes before the Board of Supervisors this afternoon.

—Rather than add additional protections, the current proposal essentially codifies state law, introduced since 2019, into the county municipal code.

—Tenants in the unincorporated areas were second reading away from sweeping new protections in December 2021. But a procedural error by one county supervisor pushed the second and final reading into 2022 when a new council made up of a slim majority typically in favor of housing providers, rolled back the protections.

—Over the next two years, the suite of tenant protections has bounced around from committee to committee and back to the Board of Supervisors several times. Advocates for tenants seemingly bluffed a strong hand during negotiations involving housing providers and county supervisors.

—On one occasion, the tenant advocates immediately walked out of a stakeholders meeting, despite not having the votes on the Board of Supervisors to carry their wishlist of protections.

—The pair of proposed ordinances represent big wins for housing providers in the unincorporated areas. Furthermore, the Board of Supervisors’ 3-2 majority in favor of housing providers—Supervisors Nate Miley, David Haubert, and Lena Tam—appears solid through 2026.

—The potential addition of John Bauters to the District 5 seat could further solidify the 3-2 majority. Over the course of the runoff campaign, Bauters has softened his stance on tenants. Housing providers, despite early questions about Bauters’ trustworthiness, have come around in recent months with support and funding for his campaign.

—Nikki Fortunato Bas, conversely, is viewed as a solid vote for expanding tenant protections, based on her record in Oakland. In fact, Bas’ election to the Board of Supervisors would instantly make her its most progressive member.

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