On Tuesday, April 8th, an important hearing was held in California’s state capital of Sacramento.
SB 1439, put forth by assemblyman Mark Leno, would allow San Francisco to have jurisdiction over the state law for evictions, commonly called the Ellis Act. The city wants to enforce a five-year minimum of property ownership before Ellis Act evictions can take place. There is currently no time period mandated.
Policy Manager Gabriel Medina of MEDA was invited to speak before the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee to provide his expertise on housing issues and to add a Latino voice in favor of the passage of this vital bill.
“No community has been more adversely impacted by Ellis Act evictions than the Mission, which has had 71 such displacements of residents from 2009-2013,” states Medina. “The Mission has always been a neighborhood that represents the promise of achieving the American Dream. That dream is becoming a nightmare for way too many financially challenged Mission District residents. Ironically, these are the people who helped make the neighborhood the vibrant community that is drawing in these new, affluent residents.”
Even San Francisco mayor Ed Lee showed up to speak in favor of the bill, which was passed and now heads to the Judiciary Committee. MEDA will keep you informed of this bill’s progress.
To see MEDA Policy Manager Gabriel Medina’s speech, pull the slider to minute 26:30 of this video.
The work of Tenants Together cannot be overlooked on this effort. They organized support and co-sponsored the legislation. I was proud to work beside Dean Preston and his team.