AgdaPkt 2019-10-28 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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'. GpAtt A] D SoCjFTr OF" SAN MATEO COUNTY October 28, 2019 Via email to council@redwoodcity.orQ City Council of Redwood City Re: Public Comment for October 28, 2019 City Council Meeting: Consideration of Urgency Ordinance Consistent with AB 1482 Dear Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council Members: I am writing on behalf of Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County to state our agency's support of adoption of an urgency ordinance that will protect Redwood City tenants from eviction without cause and excessive rent increases prior to the January 1, 2020 state-wide implementation of the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482). By adopting a comprehensive ordinance that includes both components, the City will be significantly diminishing the risk of displacement and homelessness to Redwood City tenants. Given that there has been a recent escalation of "no fault" termination notices and significant rent increases in Redwood City since the passage of AB 1482, the City Council must immediately address this attack on community stability in order to responsibly plan for the implementation of the tenant protections under AB 1482. The prevalence of"no fault" evictions and the targeting of such evictions to vulnerable Redwood City residents is not a new problem. Among the approximately 215 Redwood City households that Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County ("LASSMC") assists each year, eviction notices are the most common reason tenants seek our legal assistance, and "no fault" evictions are the most common type of eviction. Based on Redwood City evictions reported to LASSMC between January 1, 2017 and August 31, 2019, over half of eviction activity (52.5%) was based on "no fault" terminations of tenancy.' Of this group of tenants reporting "no fault" evictions, 50.7% are households with children, in significantly disproportionate representation to the 33% of Redwood City households that include children.2 Additionally, 65% of the reported "no fault" evictions are of tenants that identify as Hispanic, although only 37% of Redwood City residents are Hispanic.3 Lastly, of the group of tenants reporting "no fault" evictions, 18% are elderly and 15% are disabled. There has been a steep increase in the reporting of such eviction activity in the past seven weeks. Between September 3, 2019 and October 4, 2019, LASSMC was contacted by 11 households with "no fault" evictions. This is approximately twice the volume of "no fault" evictions that LASSMC usually sees in a 30 -day period in Redwood City. I In the same period, 39.8% of evictions were for nonpayment of rent; 6.4% were for breach of lease or nuisance; and 1.2% were due to foreclosure. 3 Bay Area Census City of Redwood City San Mateo County, htto://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/RedwoodCity.htm . 3 /d. THE NATALIE LANAM JUSTICE CENTER • SOBRATO CENTER FOR NONPROFITS — REDWOOD SHORES 330 TWIN DOLPHIN DRIVE, SUITE 123 • REDWOOD CIN, CA 94065 • 650.558.0915 • FAX 650.517.8973 TOLL-FREE 800.381.8898 • WWW.LEGALAIDSMC.ORG