Stefan Elgstrand: The housing crisis makes maintaining roots in Berkeley increasingly unaffordable and unattainable for too many. The deadline to register to vote online or by mail in Alameda County is Oct. 24, and the election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. The reigning pro-tenant slate has raised a collective $50,000. Other donors include councilmember Rigel Robinson; rent board commissioners John Selawsky and James Chang; school board directors Ty Alper and Ana Vasudeo; former councilmember Max Anderson; Alfred Twu, who is running for a seat on the AC Transit board; Mike Chang, a candidate for school board; and Vanessa Marrero, who is running with Alpert as part of the tenants union slate. Saenz Hood: Few people understand that the rent board is limited in what they can do as it relates to the eviction moratorium. Berkeleyside wants to help you get to know your 2022 candidates for Berkeley City Council, school board, rent board and more. 30 Total 22 to the county office 7 to the board 1 to the Governors Office Berkeley County is in eastern South Carolina. Grassroots organizer Negeene Mosaed runs for Berkeley rent board His donors include Mayor Jesse Arregun; councilmembersSophie Hahn, Rigel Robinson, Terry Taplin and Kate Harrison; Marc Janowitz, a tenants rights lawyer at East Bay Community Law Center; Anne Omura, a lawyer at Eviction Defense Center; and Cherilyn Parsons, executive director of the Bay Area Book Festival. We also worked with the Council to place Measure MM on the ballot expanding our rental registry to partially regulated units, which has brought the board valuable data that will inform our public policy and made rent board services available to many more Berkeley tenants. The pro-tenant slate pools its resources, nearly $50,000 altogether, to purchase advertisements on behalf of all five of its candidates making it the most powerful force in the race. More by Supriya Yelimeli. Candidates are strongly in favor of anti-displacement measures, but vary on just-cause evictions for small units. This includes legal help, resources and advocacy. When the moratorium is lifted, the RSB Ordinance must be followed, while council continues to fund legal services to represent low-income tenants. WebNegeene Mosaed for Rent Board, 2022 Biography Negeene is a homeowner and the owner of Berkeley Community Physical Therapy, a 30-year institution, which is dedicated to Pro-tenant slate wins 4 of the 5 Berkeley rent board seats Grassroots organizer and physical therapist Negeene Mosaed is running with the Right to Housing Slate for the Berkeley Rent Nathan Mizell: I am running because Berkeley residents deserve progressive, pro-tenant leadership on the rent board. Berkeleyside relies on reader support to remain free for everyone in our community. The pro-tenant slate, selected by the Berkeley Tenant Convention during election years, swept the rent board in 2020, and a majority of the current board is held by those candidates, including Simon-Weisberg, Johnson, Kelley, Mendonca and Walker. If you value what you get from Berkeleyside, please join us with atax-deductible donationso we can continue doing the local reporting that matters to you. Young people in Berkeley are often renting for the first time and need access to the services and information the board provides. Unlike in 2020, when the National Association of Realtors and another group with ties to a state association for landlords spent $150,000 on behalf of candidates on the homeowners slate but failed to win a single seat, there have been no independent expenditures made in this years rent board race. Yelimeli grew up in Fremont and I feel the pulse of our streets and thats the foundation of legitimate representation. As a Cal student I served in a number of student leadership capacities pushing the university to keep its word to Black students and other marginalized groups. She believes supporting property owners, especially small ones, goes hand in hand with building more housing to tackle the housing crisis. Mosaed: Im the owner of Berkeley Community Physical Therapy, a clinic in downtown Berkeley, which has been operating for 35 years. Her work has appeared in The Oaklandside, The New York Times, Huffington Post and Washington Post, Election Day is Nov. 8. I hope that comes because COVID has been thoroughly resolved and not because pending litigation in Oakland kills our protections and throws our community out in the cold. Elgstrand: No. Whats next for Berkeleys streets and affordable housing after Measure L failed? Former members James Chang, Paola Laverde and John Selawsky termed out, and Mari Mendonca left to pursue an unsuccessful run for the City Council seat in District 8 in this election. Update, July 12: The City Council decided to continue the majority of discussion over the potential ballot measure to the next meeting on July 26, but unanimously voted to keep eviction exemptions for ADUs, removing that possibility from the rent board proposal. In 2020, the rent board successfully campaigned for Measure MM, which created a database of rental properties in the city. Wendy Saenz Hood, the only candidate endorsed by the Berkeley Property Owners Association, has received donations from almost the entire board of directors of the organization, in addition to donations from real estate agents and property managers. For the 2022 General Election, there were 149,011 registered voters and 96 precincts, which the county office consolidated into 59 polling locations. It also incorrectly stated that Wendy Saenz Hood donated to Soli Alperts campaign. This is especially concerning when that includes companies owned by the infamous Lakireddy family, who have a history of substandard care of their units and well known criminal activity. I have a very strong background in outreach and I plan to use my skills to bridge the divide between landlords and tenants by educating both about the resources that the rent board provides. This years proposal also includes an item to expand rent control to cover new properties, which are not rent controlled due to Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act a state law passed in 1995. Thats why were publishing questionnaires with local candidates. The vacancy tax is necessary in the city of Berkeley, we have too many vacant units that are creating scarcity and increasing rents. Please refresh the page and/or try again. Candidates running for Rent Stabilization Board, top from left, Soli Alpert, Stefan Elgstrand, Carole Marasovic and Mizell: As a member of the Police Accountability Board, the issue of visibility and outreach is a recurring question in my work in the city. Berkeleyside relies on reader support to remain free for everyone in our community. The rent board should enforce and uphold these rulings and assist the tenants and landlords with mediation through this difficult transition. When no city council candidates receive 50% of first-choice votes,an instant-runoff process called ranked-choice votingcomes into play and votes are reallocated until the top candidate crosses the 50% threshold. If you value what you get from Berkeleyside, please join us with atax-deductible donationso we can continue doing the local reporting that matters to you. All but three of her donors are Berkeley residents. Yelimeli grew up in Fremont and Carole Marasovic: Serving on the rent board is a segue from my long-term commitment to the Berkeley community including my extensive work making housing policy recommendations. We put together a guide to the essentials of how to register and vote, whats on the ballot, voters rights and more. Voter's Edge California Voter Guide | Nonpartisan information on the Tuesday November 8, 2022 election. Chang, Laverde and Selawsky have termed out, opening up three seats on the board. Donate to Berkeleysideand support independent local journalism. Affordable Housing Guide | Remembering Gus Newport | From Kharkiv to Berkeley | Get The Scene, our new arts newsletter. Correction: The first sentence of this story has been changed to clarify that the proposal on the ballot would give the Rent Stabilization Board authority over rent control if the City Council chooses to implement it on SB330 properties, not institute the expanded rent control itself. They also casted ballots in countywide races for District Attorney and AC Transit Board. They do not control the eviction moratorium (that is in the hands of the City Council), nor can they provide legal guidance on how to manage problems arising from the eviction moratorium. Beyond direct events, I believe an accessible public dashboard should be created to track major cases of negligence in addressing needed repairs and habitability issues. Her top donor zip code is in Central Berkeley. They are all using public financing. Sign up for Berkeleyside's new arts & events newsletter. Incumbent Soli Alpert is running along with Stefan Elgstrand, Carole Marasovic, Vanessa Danielle Marrero, Ida Martinac, Nathan Mizell, Wendy Saenz Hood and Negeene Mosaed. I am known for my track record in effective public organizational management, collaborative, action-oriented and transparent board governance, proper oversight of fiscal development and management using data-informed practices. How do I register to vote?The easiest way to register is on theSecretary of States website. Saenz Hood: The rent board has a more than $6.5 million annual budget, yet their advertising and marketing budget is only $50,000 per year. You can use the same website to track your ballot once youve mailed it or dropped it off. Marasovic: I have served in multiple policy advisory positions in the city as current chair of the Homeless Services Panel of Experts; chair of the Homeless Commission; chair of the Mental Health Commission; commissioner, Commission on the Status of Women; commissioner, Commission on Labor; and long-term member of the Mental Health Services Act Advisory Committee. Mosaed: Berkeleys rental system is not separate from the forces that dictate housing at a state and federal level. Sign up for Berkeleyside's new arts & events newsletter. Gulbransen said landlords are likely to remove their units from the market if they lose their exemption, referencing a 150-respondent poll by the BPOA where 48% of property owners with a golden duplex or ADU said they would definitely not rent their units. I see the rent board as the main education, outreach and enforcement mechanism for Berkeley tenants in this challenging situation. Martinac: I love to study languages and have dabbled in 10 altogether. This proposal only impacts owner occupied two-unit parcels, small owners, Gulbransen said, explaining that the exemption allows these property owners some ease to evict tenants or make changes if something goes awry in their relationship. In addition, Ive been organizing to promote and spread the word on tenants rights through the Berkeley Tenant Union. Berkeley and Alameda County votes are completed, Election night photos: Berkeley candidates gathered in bars, homes and restaurants, Election update: Rashi Kesarwani grows lead in close District 1 race, Humbert declares victory, Pro-tenant slate wins 4 of the 5 Berkeley rent board seats, Pamela Price defeats Terry Wiley in Alameda County District Attorney race, Berkeley election 2022: $650M bond falls short of 2/3 margin, Brown, Chang, Shanoski win seats on Berkeley school board, Alfred Twu is more or less conceding to Joel Young in AC Transit at-large race, Cityside is suing the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, 3 maps show how Berkeley voted in state, county elections this November, How your neighbors voted in Berkeleys November election, BART housing looms large in race for Berkeley City Council District 1, Election 2022: District 1 candidates answer Berkeleyside questions, 4 candidates seek open Berkeley City Council District 8 seat, Election 2022: District 8 candidates answer Berkeleyside questions, Meet the 6 candidates running for Berkeley school board, Election 2022: School board candidates answer Berkeleyside questions, Teachers unions compete with Reichi Lee in big-money Berkeley school board race, In Berkeley rent board race, evictions, housing stock are up for debate, Election 2022: Rent board candidates answer Berkeleyside questions, Measure L: From streets to housing, $650M bond takes aim at Berkeleys biggest challenges, Measure M, Berkeleys vacancy tax, aims to curb real estate speculation, Election 2022: Unions, developers ramp up spending on ballot measures, Meet the 2 candidates running for the AC Transit boards at-large seat, Election 2022: AC Transit at-large candidates answer Berkeleyside questions, D7 Councilmember Rigel Robinson: For density, buses and bike lanes, D4 Councilmember Kate Harrison: A focus on climate, Berkeley Auditor Jenny Wong: Aims to write easy-to-digest reports, EBMUD Director Andy Katz: Supports sustainable solutions to water future, Opinion: Measure M will hurt owners of second homes, vote No, Opinion: Carole Marasovic for rent board, Opinion: Alfred Twu for AC Transit at-large board member, Alameda County Registrar of Voters office. Alpert voiced similar priorities, saying the rent board needs to do everything in its power in the coming days to ensure information is available to Berkeley residents regarding the city's eviction moratorium. If you value what you get from Berkeleyside, please join us with atax-deductible donationso we can continue doing the local reporting that matters to you. Beyond what can be done at the board-level, I would work collaboratively with fellow commissioners to advocate for legislation that will address this serious issue. Martinac: If I did, I wouldnt be running for this position! Staff reporter Ally Markovich contributed to this report. Phone: (510) 981-7171. Advocates for property owners, including Krista Gulbransen with the Berkeley Property Owners Association, say changing this exemption would unfairly target small landlords at roughly 2,000 properties in the city. Alpert: No. In a forum with the League of Women Voters in early October, Saenz Hood pushed back against rent board attempts to extend good cause eviction protections to golden duplexes and accessory dwelling units (or in-law units), saying it discourages property owners from offering up their existing properties for the rental market. Your donation goes beyond supporting our journalism. The most vulnerable tenants, seniors and persons with disabilities, frequently require additional assistance. Back in the sixth grade, I was in the 99.86 percentile for height. WebBerkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commissioners and School Board Directors are decided through a plurality vote. Negeene Mosaed: Many of my clients have suffered eviction and displacement. Berkeley Election 2022: Election News, Results and More !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rBerkeley rent board candidates on eviction cliff, rental I will demonstrate effective, collaborative, transparent and fiduciary public organizational management using data-informed practices. Her work has appeared in The Oaklandside, The New York Times, Huffington Post and Washington Post, Eight candidates are running for five seats on Berkeleys Rent Stabilization Board in November, with only one incumbent up for re-election. Donate to Berkeleysideand support independent local journalism. This has also covered golden duplexes and owner-occupied properties with ADUs. So Berkeley residents who work in Fremont can choose to vote at a center there if thats easier. Planning Commission chair Elisa Mikiten and holistic health advocate Tamar Michai Freeman are challenging incumbent Rashi Kesarwani for the Northwest Berkeley seat. More by Supriya Yelimeli. The rent board sends out annual mailers and has a public information unit responsible for outreach and education, but clearly more needs to be done. BOARD More by Supriya Yelimeli. I wish to give a voice to the unrepresented small housing provider. Ballot counting for the local ballot measures, City Council, school board, and rent board was completed on Nov. 21 at 9:17 p.m. New candidates Elgstrand, Marrero, Martinac and Mizell will join Alpert, Leah Simon-Weisberg, Xavier Johnson and Dominique Walker on the rent board. Tuesdays proposal would also put them under local rent control under the jurisdiction of the rent board, making them fully covered. But Stefan Elgstrand, whos running on an independent platform, has the most cash $15,057 to spend of any of the eight candidates in the race. Yelimeli grew up in Fremont and Donors include Cliff Orloff, CEO of Orloff Property Management, and his wife; Ann Plant, a realtor with Red Oak Realty, and her husband; and Jonathan Weldon, a realtor with Cedar Properties. Gavin Newsom, Pamela Price, Alfred Twu and Proposition 30 on Nov. 8. Mayor Jesse Arregun decided to pull the item from the agenda at that meeting in 2020 because so many City Council members had recused themselves from the vote that they couldnt extend the meeting to discuss the item. Now it will begin the process of auditing the ballots. Marasovic: Two months ago, on the Homeless Services Panel of Experts, as chair, I wrote a recommendation to increase housing retention monies so that tenants rental obligations can be met.