Committee to Protect Oakland Renters volunteers go door-to-door promoting Measure JJ
on October 12, 2016
Last Saturday, Committee to Protect Oakland Renters volunteers walked door-to-door asking residents to vote yes on a ballot measure called Measure JJ that would regulate Oakland rent increases and evictions. The committee is an umbrella of organizations such as the Oakland Tenants Union and Causa Justa: Just Cause that advocate for Oakland renters and policy changes related to housing.
Current rent protection laws limit rent increases to 2 percent annually. Landlords can exceed that increase if they provide tenants with a notice and can justify their reasons. It’s up to tenants to challenge an exceedingly large increase by contesting it within 60 days of receiving notice.
Measure JJ would require owners to file a petition to increase the rent if it exceeds the 2 percent allowable rate. They must do this before they can notify tenants of an increase. This would lift responsibility from the renters to contest an increase. If passed, the measure would also extend Just Cause for Eviction protection to residents living in units constructed before 1996. Now, Just Cause for Eviction protects tenants in units constructed before 1980.
Residents who have experienced rent increases said they hope it will pass in November. Some landlords said the measure would transfer more responsibilities onto them, making it harder to evict non-compliant tenants. Committee to Protect Oakland Renters plans to walk door-to-door every Saturday until the November 8th election.
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- Chelsea Skorka and Kaitlyn Quackenbush, activists with the Committee to Protect Oakland Renters, door-knock in District 2 to raise awareness about Measure JJ. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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- Kaitlyn Quackenbush, an activist with the Committee to Protect Oakland Renters, door-knocks in District 2 to raise awareness about Measure JJ. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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- Chelsea Skorka, an activist with the Committee to Protect Oakland Renters, door-knocks in District 2 to raise awareness for Measure JJ. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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- Chelsea Skorka and Kaitlyn Quackenbush, activists with the Committee to Protect Oakland Renters, check their list of registered voters in District 2. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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- Chelsea Skorka and Kaitlyn Quackenbush, activists with the Committee to Protect Oakland Renters, plan their route through District 2. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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- Earnest Mosley sits on his friend’s porch. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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- Connie Burch on the porch of her house. Birch has lived in this house since 1970. Her two adult sons live with her, as they cannot afford their own rent in Oakland. Photo by Rosa Furneaux.
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