One for the good guys...

In stead of a fraiku I bring you a paragraph from a letter written on behalf of me and the other tenants of our building to the new landlord of our house here. It comes from the Rent Stabilization Board and a community attorney there. It is too much to go into what is going on (another post really) but suffice to say our rights are being infringed on. We met with the rent board people and they are going to bat for us. They sent him a warning letter this week. I have not been threatened with eviction but other tenants here have and we are working on this collectively.

Here is the big part:


We are concerned that important rights of the tenants at *blah blah blah* Street are not being observed. The Rent Ordinance provisions governing owner occupancy evictions were drafted to protect the occupancy rights of Berkeley tenants, including those who currently live at *blah blah blah* Street. To back up these rights, the Ordinance provides that a willful violation of the eviction may subject the owner to criminal and civil liability, including punitive damages and restoration of possession to the evicted tenant. (Berkeley Municipal Code sections yada yada yada) Consequently, I urge you to review the sections of the Rent Ordinance cited in this letter. We will continue to monitor this situation closely."

In other words. His *ss is grass. I believe the law is on our side.