Miley says ALCO Board of Supervisors should revisit county's eviction moratorium
California Apartment Association is readying a lawsuit to challenge moratorium
COUNTY NEWS
—COVID RENT RELIEF DEBATE RETURNS—Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley wants the Board of Supervisors to take a fresh look at the county's Covid-19 Eviction Moratorium, currently the strictest in the Bay Area. “I think the Board of Supervisors should revisit the eviction moratorium. But I’m only one vote and it requires three votes to revisit,” Miley said at the end of Wednesday night's Unincorporated Services Committee. "Circumstances have changed since we enacted it in 2020. I don’t think it’s doing justice at this time.” Miley said he would modify the eviction moratorium, or even repeal it.
—While the eviction moratorium has successfully served its purpose for keeping families housed during the height of the pandemic, bureaucratic limitations and indications Covid-19 is nearing endemic stage, is leading landlords to push for a return to normalcy.
—Miley's comments came following a long public comment period on Wednesday night in which landlords urged the county to redirect the unincorporated area's share, or a portion, of $14 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to landlords left unpaid after almost two years.
—Just $55 million of the county's $129 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds for renters and landlords have been approved and spent, said Michelle Starratt, who heads the Alameda County Housing Program. Landlords are worried the fund could soon run out before outstanding claims of unpaid rent during the pandemic are even processed. One landlord said he has yet to recover $30,000 in unpaid rent. Starratt said she is empathic of the landlords' plight and is in conversations with supervisors about additional financial help, but did not elaborate.
—Tom Silva of Eden Realty, a developer primarily in the unincorporated areas, urged the county to aid struggling landlords. "I want you to look me in the eye in saying, 'What would you say to those 700 families that could get $20,000 in assistance?'," Silva said. "Let's use that one-time money the way President Biden intended it to be used."
—Alameda County's entire pot of federal Covid relief funds from March 2021 totalled $324 million. Last September, the Board of Supervisors authorized $14 million for the unincorporated areas, some of the most impoverished in the county. "This is an unprecedented amount of money," Starratt said, but added, "It's really not enough for what this community needs."
—Supervisor Dave Brown, who replaced Wilma Chan on the board last December, said it was the late supervisor's wish to use the relief funds for "transformative projects." For example, county staff's plan includes using $535,000 to seed the creation of a community bank that could be leveraged for additional money down the road, Brown said.
—Landlords, though, balked at a proposal to use $1.14 milion for a Rental Inspection and Registry Program. They called the idea redundant and another level of bureaucracy for small property owners to navigate. “Don't waste these funds on programs that may reduce the supply of housing” said David Stark, a representative for the Bay East Association of Realtors. But surprisingly, the county currently does not have the ability to do code enforcement inside rental units.
—APARTMENT GROUP PREPARES LAWSUIT—Last week, the powerful California Apartment Association signaled they are setting the groundwork to challenge Alameda County’s Eviction Moratorium in court. “It’s time for the courts to prohibit the county from allowing tenants to live rent free, regardless of whether they’ve been financially affected by COVID-19,” the trade group wrote in what is essentially an open call for plaintiffs in Alameda County. The group has already identified up to 60 potential plaintiffs, according to a source.
PODCAST
—EPISODE 43 AVAILABLE NOW!—Former San Leandro Councilmember Ed Hernandez on the state of the city's politics and being called a "sore loser," plus a cameo appearance from 20th Assembly District candidate Shawn Kumagai, and we break down the newest candidates in the Alameda County Board of Supervisors race.
—Look for the new episode today and subscribe to the podcast for FREE on Apple Podcastsor wherever you download podcasts.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to East Bay Insiders Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.