Renters Council Membership Meeting

Sunday, August 13, 7:30-9:30pm
Meeting Minutes: 2023-08-13
Index of recording:
0:41 Approval of Agenda

1:22 Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) presentation from Berkeley

- Councilmember Kate Harrison and Chris Schildt from PolicyLink

19:12 Legislation Update 

- Francisco Duenas from Housing Now

- SB567 Tenant Protection Bill 20:20

- SB555 Social Housing Bill 24:45

29:46 Approval of Minutes of May 2023 Membership Meeting

31:42 Treasurer's Report - Vinnie Bacon

33:16 Carolyn Fowler, CADEM Controller, update on Campaign Finance Compliance Training

34:29 Secretary's Report - Alfred Twu

34:51 Justice for Renters Act presentation from Susie Shannon

39:36 Q&A on TOPA Act

40:58 NorCal Update - Igor Tregub

- Oakland update from Councilmember Dan Kalb 42:54

- Sacramento Update from Monica Madrid 45:03

- Sacramento Forward coalition for tenant and labor protections and affordable housing funding 45:29

- Sacramento Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance 48:07

- Unincorporated Alameda County tenant protection campaign update from Barisha Spriggs 50:08

52:57 Central CA Update - Art Rodriguez

- Delano Rent Control Campaign update from Councilmember Veronica Vasquez 53:51 

- Central Coast Updates from Esther Malkin 59:23

- Monterey increases city council stipends 59:56

- Working with county officials on renters issues 1:01:21

- Partnership with Marina Tenants Association 1:04:00

- Farmworker renter displacement in Tulare County 1:04:47

- Farmworker housing evictions and immigration intimidation in Central Valley - update from Mari Perez-Ruiz 1:05:56

- Meeting with Congresswoman Barbara Lee 1:07:17

- Delano rent control ballot measure 1:07:40

- Voter Registration campaign 1:09:50

- Tenant organizing in Madera 1:11:00

- Central Valley housing situation and importance of Justice for Renters Act 1:12:26

1:14:38 Southern California Update - Ryan Bell

- Cudahy Rent Control implementation - update and summary from Councilmember Elizabeth Alcantar 1:15:07

- Barrington Plaza fight against Ellis Act renoviction - update from Larry Gross 1:20:45

- Burbank tenant protection campaign - update from Councilmember Nick Schultz 1:30:25

- Pomona tenant protections 1:33:14

- Keep LA Housed coalition, linking tenant protections with preventing homelessness 1:33:55

1:36:23 Renters Council Legislator Scorecard - Annie Koruga

1:41:42 Fighting back against renter-unfriendly Solar and Utility Taxes - Igor Tregub

- 1:42:35 CPUC wants to take away savings from solar

- 1:45:09 Utility tax

1:48:06 Candidate Speeches, 2 minutes each

- Sean Frame for AD6

- Nick Schultz for AD44

- Vinnie Bacon for Fremont Mayor (Nov 2024)

- Dan Kalb for SD7

- Sade Elhawary for AD57

- Veronica Vasquez for Kern County Supervisor D4

2:00:56 Adjourn 

Renters Council Mixer at the CADEM Visalia Executive Board Meeting

Saturday 8/19, Exact date and time TBD

We will be holding a mixer during the party's E-Board meeting in Visalia. Exact date, time, and location is TBD. It will be near the E-Board conference, which is held at the Visalia Convention Center. For the full details and tentative agenda for E-board, see https://cadem.org/executive-board/

CA Dem Platform - Comments due August 19
The Renters Council board is sending in a consolidated set of comments on strengthening tenant protections and rent control to the Legislation Committee.  You can also send in your own comments as an individual using the form located on the Platform Committee website at https://cadem.org/standing-committee/platform-committee/

2023-2024 Candidate Questionnaire Now Available

We are doing candidate endorsements for State Assembly, State Senate, and local elections that have a March 2024 primary, such as County Supervisor or some City Council elections. 

1st Round Requests Due August 23 at 7pm

Members will vote on endorsements late August/early September, with results announced around September 15.

Please share with any candidates that might be interested.  https://forms.gle/BHVqKHhEzU4Ph6tXA 

TAKE ACTION to Remind CA's Government They Work for Us, not Corporate Utility Monopolies

Last month, the CADEM Renters Council proudly submitted a letter co-signed by nearly 170 organizations calling on Governor Newsom and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to reject the investor-owned utilities' discriminatory proposal to deprive multifamily renters of the ability to benefit from affordable, local, and clean energy in the form of rooftop solar. To our grave disappointment, yesterday the CPUC sided with the greed of large corporations - Pacific Gas and Electric, SoCal Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric - over renters' needs to afford their rents and utility bills. What's more, the utilities have also proposed a $100+/month utility tax - the highest in the nation - that will hurt renters and working families (more about this in our next email update). The fight is not over. This is only a proposed decision; we have until September 21 to turn it around. Please email NorCal Vice Chair itregub@gmail.com for (light-lift) opportunities to remind our state government that it works for us, not greedy corporate monopolies.