Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Meeting Agenda: 07/21/2022

RENT STABILIZATION BOARD
Regular Meeting
Thursday, July 21, 2022
7:00 p.m.

Zoom Video Archive (1:49) (Incomplete Audio)

AGENDA

*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. Introduction of recently-hired Rent Board staff – 5 min.*

5. Public Comment – 2 min. per speaker for non-agendized items*
    
6. Public Comment – 2 min. per speaker for items on the agenda*

7. APPEAL – 7:30 p.m.**
   **This appeal will not be heard before 7:30 p.m. but may be heard any time thereafter.
   
   Case No. E-99 (1146-1160 Hearst Avenue)
   
   Appellant landlord (“landlord”) filed an appeal of a hearing decision denying exemption of registration requirements under Measure MM for 26 rental units located on 3 parcels, 1146-50 Hearst Ave., 1154-56 Hearst Ave., and 1160 Hearts Ave (“property”). On appeal, the landlord reiterates his claim that the property is wholly exempt, in perpetuity, from the Rent Ordinance pursuant to a settlement agreement between the landlord and the Rent Stabilization Board (“Board”). The landlord’s petition and appeal fail to establish that the settlement agreement issues the property a blanket exemption to the Rent Ordinance, and otherwise fails to provide any other reason for exemption from Measure MM registration obligations. Therefore, the Hearing Examiner’s decision should be affirmed.
    
8. CONSENT ITEMS – 1 min.*
   1. Approval of the June 16, 2022 regular meeting minutes
   2. Proposal to approve staff recommendations on the following requests for waivers of late registration penalties (Executive Director/Registration Unit Manager)
      
      Ministerial Waivers
      Waiver No.     Property Address
      
      N/A                 66 MENLO
      N/A                 2116 ROOSEVELT
      N/A                 2398 BANCROFT WAY
      N/A                 1411 SPRUCE
      N/A                 2958 HILLEGASS 
      N/A                 2313 6TH STREET
      N/A                 1437 VIRGINIA 
      N/A                 1767 EUCLID #6
      N/A                 2022 EMERSON
      N/A                 2530 DWIGHT
      N/A                 2112 MCKINLEY# C
      N/A                 1620 MILVIA ST
      N/A                 1717 BLAKE
      N/A                 1641 ALLSON WAY 
      N/A                 2711 FOREST AVE
      N/A                 1323 SANTA FE
      N/A                 2422 BONAR
      N/A                 1221 CURTIS
      N/A                 1523 PRINCE ST
      N/A                 1921 HARMON
      N/A                 367 VASSAR 
      N/A                 2326 LE CONTE 
      N/A                 2215 MARIN AVE
      N/A                 3205 CALIFORNIA ST
      N/A                1659 JULIA
      N/A                 2325 ROOSEVELT 
      N/A                 2218 ASHBY AVE 
      N/A                 1916 CEDAR 
      N/A                 1614 FRANCISCO 
      N/A                 2335 RUSSELL 
      N/A                 2636 WARRING ST
      N/A                 2724 GARBER
      N/A                 2711 CALIFORNIA
      N/A                 1919A RUSSELL 
      N/A                 2734 MILVIA 
      N/A                1009 KEITH 
      N/A                 2021 HEARST 
      
      
      Discretionary Waivers
      Waiver No.     Property Address
      
      W5031            3025 DEAKIN 
      W5032            2112 VIRGINIA
      W5033            2721 CHANNING 
      W5034            1240 ORDWAY
      W5035            1203 SHATTUCK #B
      W5036            1655 BELVEDERE 
      W5037            1204 EVELYN AVE
      W5038            2383 VIRGINIA ST
      W5039            2204 MCGEE
      W5040            2644 DWIGHT 
      W5041            1612 PARKER
      W5042            1636 MLK JR WAY
      W5043            1780 SPRUCE
      W5044            2501 HILGARD
      W5045            2733, 2727 & 2729 STUART
      W5046            1602 ASHBY
      W5047            1449 CEDAR
      W5048            1350 ACTON
       
9. ACTION ITEMS
   from Board Members, Committees, Executive Director or Staff
   
   Public comment will also be heard prior to the Board’s vote on each action item listed below – 1 min. per speaker.
   1. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 22-21 to establish a COVID-19 and one-time Administrative Correction Cycle amnesty period of 90 days for fully covered and Measure MM units to automatically waive penalties associated with late payment of Registration Fees for those landlords that were not able to pay the fees due to financial hardship associated with COVID-19 or the requirement of an administrative correction (Budget & Personnel Committee and Executive Director) – 15 min.*
   2. Discussion and possible action to amend the Board’s 2022 Regular Meeting Schedule by canceling the regular meeting scheduled for August 18, 2022 (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 5 min.*
       
10. 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 the Tenant Survey project – Verbal (Executive Director) - 3min.* 
        
    2. 2022-2023 Year Over Year Registration Fee Collection Comparison report (Executive Director/Registration Unit Manager) – 5 min.*
        
    3. Updated Commissioner attendance at Board and Committee meetings through the 2nd quarter of 2022  (Board Secretary) – 1 min.*
        
    4. Updated Appendix B of Rent Board Regulations, Chapter 12  (Executive Director) – 1 min.*
        
    5. Updated Appendix C of Rent Board Regulations, Chapter 12  (Executive Director) – 1 min.*
        
    6. June 2022 report by the Tech, Bias, and Housing Initiative titled, “Sold to the Highest Bidder – How Tech is Cashing in on the American Dream”  (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 1 min.*
        
    7. July 13, 2022 California Department of Justice Division of Law Enforcement  Information Bulletin: “Protecting Tenants Against Unlawful Lockouts and Other “Self-Help Evictions” (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 1 min.*
        
    8. Date to submit agenda topics/items for September’s regular Rent Board meeting: Friday, September 2nd at 5:00 p.m.  NOTE: This is a hard deadline and will be enforced.
        
11. COMMITTEE/BOARD MEETING UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
    1. Budget and Personnel Committee (Commissioner Chang, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Monday, Sept. 12th at 5:30 p.m.
       
       July 12th agenda
        
    2. Eviction/Section 8/Foreclosure Committee (Commissioner Mendonca, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: Thursday, July 28th at 5:30 p.m.
        
    3. Legislation, IRA/AGA & Registration Committee (LIRA Committee) (Commissioner Kelley, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  TBA
        
    4. Outreach Committee (Commissioner Laverde, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Wednesday, August 10th at 5:30 p.m.
       
       July 20th 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 Task Force Committee on Housing: City Council/Rent Board – 5 min.*
       (Mayor Arreguín and Chair Simon-Weisberg, Committee Co-Chairs)
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Wednesday, Sept. 28th at 3:00 p.m.
       
       July 12th agenda packet
        
    7. Ad Hoc Committee on Rent Board Technology Issues (Commissioner Selawsky, Chair) – 3 min.*
       Next meeting date:  TBA
        
    8. Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Virtual Meetings (Chair TBA) – 3 min.*
       Next meeting date:  TBA
        
    9. Updates and Announcements – 3 min.*
        
    10. Discussion of items for possible placement on future agenda – 5 min.*
         
12. ADJOURNMENT