Your paper’s reporting on the recent set of urgency ordinances to prevent evictions of vulnerable families ahead of the implementation of Assembly Bill 1482 shows just how different Peninsula leaders can be. As mayors, Karyl Matsumoto of South San Francisco (“South City adopts urgency tenant protections,” Dec. 3) and Sam Hindi of Foster City (“Three jurisdictions vote on urgency ordinance,” Nov. 20) led efforts to prevent tenants from being displaced by landlords who wanted them gone before stronger statewide protections kick in on Jan. 1.
Neither Matsumoto nor Hindi fully got what they wanted. South San Francisco passed a watered-down ordinance, and Foster City failed to pass anything at all. However, Matsumoto and Hindi stood with vulnerable families all the way through.
The same cannot be said of Mayor Donna Colson of Burlingame, who convened a study session on an urgency ordinance but then cast the decisive vote against it. Instead, Burlingame is making a small donation to a local nonprofit to help displaced families, but that is cold comfort for renters pushed out of homes they’ve lived in for years. San Bruno and Pacifica also decided to side with local landlords who see themselves as the aggrieved parties despite benefiting from Proposition 13 and restrictive supply.
If displaced families can manage to stay in the area, I suggest they rent in San Carlos, Redwood City, Half Moon Bay, San Mateo or another city that has passed an urgency ordinance. At least you’ll know your local councilmembers have your back.
(4) comments
They are trying to regulate the folks who have to choose between rent food and sleeping in their cars are trying to regulate what a divisive comment the haves vs.Have nots probably keep those In need right in their place Too bad one can't see what we need is help not a realtor e offering this and that help people who need it not organize so you don't have to pay more...so realtors make a try to justify the goughing that goes on with rent increases , the you have to be out by Jan. 1. Take yeah but we are offering token gestures instead of preventing the increases As long as they make money there is no empathy for anybody but themselves.
Supply and Demand. When you limit supply, demand goes up. Rent seeking is real, they restrain supply so to raise prices. Regulation is the only solution to such anti competitive practices when supply is artificially constrained by rent seekers.
Well done Fmr Mayor Hindi.
one day tenant activists and the city council members who support them will realize they don't own the property they are trying to regulate.
How prophetic.....
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