Oakland’s housing crisis is so dire that this week the United Nations called Oakland a “human rights violator” and our homeless encampments a “global scandal”. While time and again our current elected officials have stalled on actions to bring real solutions like Public Land for Public Good, voters have the chance to pass important housing protections on Nov. 6.

Yes on Prop 10 will protect renters by empowering local government to strengthen rent control – one of the biggest safe guards to keep working-class, people of color housed in Oakland. Rent control is a critical tool used by cities to push back against displacement, and to stabilize housing markets.

We know that “no cause evictions” lead to displacement of our neighbors, some of whom end up on the streets.  With Oakland’s Measure Y — which is backed by our partners at Causa Justa::Just Cause — voters have the chance to protect more than 8,000 renters from “no cause evictions” by:

  • expanding protections against evictions to all buildings built before 1996 regardless of the size of the building;
  • closing a loophole in the current “Just Cause” ordinance that currently allows landlords who live on the same property (a duplex or triplex rental unit) to evict tenants without a reason; and
  • stopping speculator abuse and bad-acting landlords, as they would only be able to evict people with “Just Cause” reasons, such as violation of lease terms, owner move-in, or failure to pay rent, or eight other reasons under the “Just Cause for Eviction” ordinance.

Measure Y is fair to small property landlords, allowing them to evict tenants who are violating their leases, breaking the law, or not paying rent, along with 8 other “Just Cause” reasons to evict tenants, including a valid owner move-in. Good-acting landlords can continue with their business. Measure Y focuses on bad actors and corporate landlords who are taking advantage of the loophole within our current eviction protection laws.

The California Realtors Association is one of the biggest opponents of these measures, spending a lot of money to try to defeat them because speculators and corporate landlords benefit from charging the highest rents possible, and do not support renter protections. They are not interested in protecting long-term Oakland renters and the community that has laid roots for generations.

While Prop 10 and Measure Y will not solve the housing crisis alone, they will provide much needed protections to help keep existing tenants in their homes and prevent further homelessness.

Candidates Speak Out on Housing

We are excited to endorse Cat Brooks for Mayor and Nikki Fortunato Bas for District 2 City Council both of whom are running on real policy solutions to address our housing crisis. Watch the videos below as Cat and Nikki spell out their housing platforms.

NIkki Fortunato Bas for District 2 lays out policy solutions to our housing crisis

Flex Your Power and VOTE on NOV. 6! Together, we can help keep our neighbors housed and create real, humane solutions for our unhoused neighbors.