Tenants' protection ordinances postponed yet again, protesters shut down Board of Supervisors meeting
No movement on Alameda County recount; county assesses damage from winter storms
COUNTY NEWS
TENANTS’ RIGHT PROTECTIONS
—POSTPONEMENT AND PROTEST—Tenants’ rights activists shut down the Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday afternoon at a hearing that was expected to include the fate of three tenant protections ordinances for unincorporated Alameda County.
—“Fight! Fight! Housing is a human right!” the protesters chanted from the lectern inside the board’s chambers. Board President Nate Miley temporarily moved for recess of the meeting.
—Tenants’ rights activists protested an event last Friday in Castro Valley that was attended by Supervisors Miley and David Haubert. Protesters also held a rally yesterday in front of Supervisor Lena Tam’s district office in San Lorenzo.
—About 10 minutes later, Miley announced the board would instead head back into closed session. “We have folks in the meeting determined to interrupt the meeting,” he said.
—Earlier in the meeting, Supervisor Richard Valle asked to again postpone the crucial second and final reading of the three ordinances, which includes Just Cause and Fair Chance tenant protections, and the creation of a rent registry.
—The Board of Supervisors approved the ordinances on Dec. 20. A second vote on Jan. 10 would have made the new ordinances law, but the vote was subsequently postponed by Supervisor Keith Carson.
—Valle’s request today moves the second reading of the ordinances to Feb. 28. Valle also continued the same items on Dec. 6, before the ordinances were approved.
—Notably, Carson and Valle were two of supporters of the three ordinances last December. The other was Supervisor Dave Brown, who was replaced this month by Tam.
—That Carson and Valle have both requested the items to be continued strongly suggest each believes the fate of the three ordinances is doubtful.
—One insiders equated the multiple postponements to a football team using its timeouts late in the game in order to manage the clock and set up a Hail Mary attempt.
—Unlike many Alameda County cities, the roughly 60,000 renters in the unincorporated areas are without similar tenants’ protections. Many of these areas include some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the East Bay.
—RECOUNT UPDATE—It appears little has been done in the effort to begin a recount of select ranked choice voting races in Alameda County. The Board of Supervisors directed county counsel earlier this month to study how the county can begin a manual recount of ranked choice voting races in Oakland and San Leandro.
—Donna Ziegler, Alameda County counsel, told the board on Tuesday that while a outside law firm is studying the legality of a manual recount, they are still researching next steps.
—When Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis was pressed by Supervisor Keith Carson about his efforts since the board’s direction, it appeared no action had been done on rudimentary steps, such as hiring additional staff for a possible recount.
—“I just don’t want to keep dragging this out,” Carson said. He asked whether or not Dupuis needs additional board action to begin hiring election workers. Ziegler told the board that no new action is required. The Registrar of Voters was directed by the board to front the costs of a manual recount, Ziegler added.
“I just want people to know that I’m doing my job.” Carson responded..
—OUSD D4 UPDATE—In the controversial Oakland school board race in District 4, county counsel Donna Ziegler expects a court ruling possibly today about whether a manual recount in that race can begin.
—Nick Resnick was certified as the District 4 winner in December, but a incorrect setting in the ranked choice voting algorithm was later discovered. A retabulation found candidate Mike Hutchinson actually won the race.
—STORM DAMAGES—The winter deluge this month caused an estimated $67 million in damage, including $20 million in the unincorporated areas, the county said.
—Twenty roads in Alameda County were closed following the successive storms. Roughly 600 tons of sand was distributed, along with 60,000 sandbags, the county reported.
—“This is just the beginning,” warned Daniel Woldesenbet, director of Alameda County Public Works, in the event additional power-packed storms hit the county in the near future.
—Help paying for the damage is expected from the federal government, but not yet finalized. The problem is Alameda County has not yet been certified for FEMA disaster funding.
—A “major disaster declaration” has not been issued. But a representative from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said to expect both designations to be forthcoming. Once they are made, the county and individuals affected by the storms can apply for relief.
—ADJOURNMENT—The Alameda County Board of Supervisors adjourned their meeting in memory of victims of the mass-shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, and East Oakland. “This can happen to anywhere and to anyone,” Supervisor Nate Miley lamented.