After a discussion and a protest by property owners earlier in the day, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors decided on Tuesday night to lift a countywide moratorium on home evictions on April 29.
In the rain, about 100 people yelled to lift the embargo on Tuesday morning. It has resulted in some landlords losing tens of thousands of dollars or more in rent.
The moratorium covers both the county’s cities and its unincorporated regions. Those restrictions take precedence if a town has a more stringent suspension. Also, the county’s provisions for homeowners apply if a city’s statute favors tenants more than homeowners.
An Alameda County property owner named Jinyu Wu began his hunger strike Sunday morning in front of the building where the Board of Supervisors meets.
According to reports, Wu is owed more than $120,000 in unpaid rent. He immigrated to the United States in 2016, and by Tuesday afternoon, he was feeling better inside the supervisors’ offices. He claimed it was too cold outside.
“I have two requests,” said Wu when asked what he wanted the board to do Tuesday. “One, end the eviction moratorium immediately. Two, compensate many small housing providers impacted by eviction moratorium.”
He wants the government to compensate landlords for their losses and attributes the issue to elected authorities rather than tenants. He would not elaborate beyond the few remarks he made, but others had much to say.
Jennifer Liu, president of the Business and Housing Network, a nonprofit representing small property owners and promoting property rights and housing-friendly laws, declared that It’s not fair for small housing providers. “Why should the eviction moratorium continue?” Since the state COVID-19 emergency was declared over on Tuesday, Liu said.
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She thinks political officials are responsible for defending low-income and vulnerable citizens, but she also believes the government should consider other people in need. “With the lack of income, Wu’s family is suffering.” According to Liu, Wu filed for federal rent assistance but was denied. She’s not sure why.
Board of Supervisors president Nate Miley said, “I firmly believe our eviction moratorium was an overreach,” to his colleagues and those in attendance at the meeting on Tuesday. The moratorium, in his opinion, needed to be more stringent. “I’m a strong believer in property rights,” he said.
At public comment time, a property owner complained that the moratorium was biassed. Last year, he allegedly lost $80,000 on rent. Just 60 days remain until the moratorium’s April 29 expiration.
“For the first time in three years, housing providers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that this unfair and burdensome law is coming to an end in 60 days,” Joshua Howard, executive vice president of the California Apartment Association, said in a statement.
“CAA calls upon the Board of Supervisors to now make Alameda County property owners whole for the injustices, loss of income, and harm they have suffered because of this unfair moratorium,” Howard added. “The County must urgently consider reimbursing property owners for unpaid rent they are owed.”