Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Meeting Agenda: 03/17/2022

RENT STABILIZATION BOARD
Regular Meeting
Thursday, March 17, 2022
7:00 p.m.

Zoom Video Archive (5:15)

*Times allotted for each item are approximate and may be changed at the Board’s discretion during the course of this meeting.

1. Roll call – 1 min.*
    
2. Land Acknowledgment Statement:  The Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board recognizes that the rental housing units we regulate are built on the territory of xučyun (Huchiun-(Hooch-yoon)), the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo (Cho-chen-yo)-speaking Ohlone (Oh-low-nee) people, the ancestors and descendants of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County. This land was and continues to be of great importance to all of the Ohlone Tribes and descendants of the Verona Band. As we begin our meeting tonight, we acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of Berkeley, the documented 5,000-year history of a vibrant community at the West Berkeley Shellmound, and the Ohlone people who continue to reside in the East Bay.  We recognize that Berkeley’s landlords and tenants have and continue to benefit from the use and occupation of this unceded stolen land since the City of Berkeley’s incorporation in 1878 and since the Rent Stabilization Board’s creation in 1980. As stewards of the laws regulating rental housing, it is not only vital that we recognize the history of this land, but also recognize that the Ohlone people are present members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today.
    
3. Approval of Agenda – 1 min.*
    
4. Public Comment – 2 min. per speaker for non-agendized items*
    
5. SPECIAL PRESENTATION:  “Densifying Berkeley: Potential Impacts on Displacement and Equity” by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project
    
6. CONSENT ITEMS – 1 min.*
   
      a. Approval of February 17, 2022 regular meeting minutes
    
7. Public Comment – 2 min. per speaker for items on the agenda*
    
8. ACTION ITEMS
   from Board Members, Committees, Executive Director or Staff
   1. Mid-Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Budget Report and recommendation to adopt Resolution 22-03 authorizing changes to the Staffing Model (Budget & Personnel Committee) – 15 min.*
       
   2. Discussion and possible action to have the Board take a position on Assembly Bill (AB) AB-2469 Housing: Statewide Rental Registry (Chair Simon-Weisberg & Vice-Chair Alpert) – 10 min.*
       
   3. Discussion and possible action to have the Board take a position on AB-2297 Tenancy: fee in lieu of a security deposit (Chair Simon-Weisberg & Vice-Chair Alpert) – 10 min.*
       
   4. Discussion and possible action to have the Board take a position on AB-2713 Tenant protections: just cause termination: rent caps (Chair Simon-Weisberg & Vice-Chair Alpert) – 10 min.*
       
   5. Discussion and possible action to recommend various amendments to the Rent Stabilization and Eviction for Good Cause Ordinance to be placed on the November 2022 general election ballot (LIRA Committee) – 20 min.*
       
   6. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 22-04 calling for Alameda County Supervisors to continue the Countywide COVID-19-related Eviction Moratorium (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 5 min.* TO BE DELIVERED
       
9. INFORMATION, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ARTICLES/MEDIA
   from Board Members, Committees, Executive Director or Staff
   
   Note:  The Board may vote to move Information Items to the Action Calendar.
   1. Update on remote meeting possibilities for future meetings – Verbal (General Counsel) – 5 min.*
       
   2. Deadline to submit comments for the City’s Housing Element Administrative Draft is April 1st (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 2 min.*
       
   3. Update regarding restoring commissioners’ access to their Rent Board email accounts – Verbal  (Chair Simon-Weisberg/Board Secretary) – 2 min.*
       
   4. Update on the City’s Website Reinvention Project timeline and the Rent Board’s content migration – Verbal  (Executive Director/Board Secretary) – 2 min.*
       
   5. Berkeley Rent Board presentation at FLEJCON Conference on March 12, 2022 – Verbal (Executive Director) – 3 min.*
       
   6. February 23, 2022 memo from City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley regarding the California Community Housing Agency Middle Income Rental Housing Program (CalCHA) & 2020 Kittredge Street Acquisition Information (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 2 min.*
       
   7. March 12, 2022 “Community Health is Wealth Fair” event flyer (Executive Director) – 1 min.*
       
   8. Date to submit agenda topics/items for the April 21st Rent Board meeting: Monday, April 11th at 5:00 p.m.  NOTE: This is a hard deadline and will be enforced.
       
10. COMMITTEE/BOARD MEETING UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
    1. Budget and Personnel Committee (Commissioner Chang, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Tuesday, March 29th at 5:00 p.m.
       
       March 8th agenda
        
    2. Eviction/Section 8/Foreclosure Committee (Commissioner Mendonca, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: Thursday, March 24th at 5:30 p.m.
        
    3. Legislation, IRA/AGA & Registration Committee (LIRA Committee) (Commissioner Kelley, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Tuesday, April 5th at 5:00 p.m.
       
       March 9th agenda
        
    4. Outreach Committee (Commissioner Laverde, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Wednesday, March 16th at 5:15 p.m.
       
       March 16th agenda
    5. 2 x 2 Committee on Housing: Rent Board/Berkeley Unified School District (Chair TBA) – 3 min.*
       Regularly-scheduled meeting date:  TBA
        
    6. 4 x 4 Joint Committee on Housing: City Council/Rent Board – 5 min.*
       (Mayor Arreguín and Chair Simon-Weisberg, Committee Co-Chairs)
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Wednesday, March 23rd at 3:00 p.m.
       
       February 23rd agenda packet
        
    7. Ad Hoc Committee on Rent Board Technology Issues (Commissioner Selawsky, Chair) – 3 min.*
       Next meeting date:  TBA
        
    8. Updates and Announcements – 3 min.*
        
    9. Discussion of items for possible placement on future agenda – 5 min.*
        
11. CLOSED SESSION:  The Board will meet in closed session as follows:
    1. Public Employee Evaluation of Performance pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957(b)(1)
       Title: Executive Director
        
    2. Conference with Labor Negotiators pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957.6 
       Agency Designated Representative: Board Chair
       Unrepresented Employee: Executive Director
        
    3. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 54956.9(a), the Board also will convene in closed session for an update on litigation:
       
       Williams, et al. v. Alameda County, Alameda County Board of Supervisors, City of Oakland, Oakland City Council (United States District Court for the Northern District of California Case 3:22-cv-01274-LB) – amicus brief

The Board will announce any action taken during closed session when they return to open session.

12. ACTION ITEM:  Oral recommendation regarding proposed changes, if any, to salary and/or fringe benefits of Executive Director (Full Board) – 10 min.*
     
13. ACTION ITEM:  Discussion and possible approval of changes, if any, to salary and/or fringe benefits of Executive Director (Full Board) – 10 min.*
     
14. ADJOURNMENT