Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Meeting Agenda: 12/19/2024

RENT STABILIZATION BOARD
Regular Meeting
Thursday, December 19, 2024
7:00 p.m.
School District Board Room – 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA

Video Archive (0:52)

*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. – 2 min.*
    
3. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS – 10 min.* 
   1. Oath of Office of Commissioners-elect:
      City Clerk Mark Numainville will administer the Oath of Office to Commissioners-elect.
       
   2. Introduction of and comments from Commissioners-elect
       
4. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS – 15 min.* 
   1. Election of Rent Board Chair:
      The Executive Director conducts the election for the Board’s Chair.
       
   2. Election of Rent Board Vice-Chair:
      The newly-elected Chair conducts the election for the Board’s Vice-Chair.
       
   3. Comments from the new-elected Chair and Vice-Chair
       
5. Approval of Agenda – 1 min.*
    
6. Public Comment – 2 min.* 
    
7. CONSENT ITEMS – 1 min.*
    
   1. Approval of the November 21st 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
      Property Address
      
      2710 Claremont Blvd
      1819 Carleton St
      1403 Carleton St
      1626 Russell St
      1701 62nd St
      1221 Shattuck Ave 
      1440 67th St
      2529 Etna St
      1700 Francisco St
      1280 Delaware St
      1822 Berkeley Way #3
      2523 10th St
      2133 California St
      1519 6th St
      1331 Dwight Way 
      3001 Deakin St
      2509 Dana St
      2811 Dohr St
      
      Discretionary Waivers
      Waiver No.     Property Address
      
      W5134           1820 Cedar St
      W5135           1370 University Ave.
      W5136           956 Euclid Ave
       
8. 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 24-23 approving the new employment agreement with Executive Director DéSeana Williams (Commissioner Alpert) – 5 min.*
       
   2. Recommendation to adopt substantive changes to the following existing Regulations to incorporate Rent Ordinance amendments from Measure BB: 801 [Proper Filing of the Rent Registration Statement], 1000 [Base Rent Determination for Previously Exempted Units], 1012 [Separate Agreements], and 1269 [Change in Space or Services] – All First Reading (General Counsel) – 15 min.*
       
   3. Recommendation to adopt the following new Regulations to incorporate Rent Ordinance amendments from Measure BB: 410 [Government-subsidized Rental Units], 411 [Property Management Company; definition], and 1209.5 [Parties in a Petition Subject to a Tenant-based Government Subsidy] – All First Reading (General Counsel) – 20 min.*
       
   4. Recommendation to repeal Regulation 807 [Exemption from Registration for units with tenants receiving monthly assistance through the Section 8 Program or the Shelter Plus Care Program or equivalent rent subsidy program] – First Reading (General Counsel) – 3 min.*
       
   5. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 24-24 establishing the elected Rent Board’s Regular Meeting Schedule for 2025 (Executive Director) – 10 min.*
       
   6. Demolition Ordinance and Demolition projects status update (Senior Planner Lief Bursell) – 10 min.*
       
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. Deadline to submit agenda items/topics for January’s regular Rent Board meeting: Will be announced following adoption of the Board’s 2025 Regular Meeting Schedule (Board Secretary)
       
10. COMMITTEE/BOARD MEETING UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
     
    1. Budget & Personnel Committee (Commissioner Walker, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: To Be Announced (TBA)
        
    2. Climate Resilience Committee (Commissioner Martinac, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting date: TBA 
        
    3. Eviction/Section 8/Foreclosure Committee (Commissioner Elgstrand, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: TBA
        
    4. Legislation, IRA/AGA & Registration Committee (LIRA Committee) (Commissioner Kelley, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: TBA
       
       December 12th agenda 
        
    5. Outreach Committee (Vice-Chair Alpert, Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: TBA
        
    6. 2 x 2 Committee on Housing: Rent Board/Berkeley Unified School District 
       (Commissioner Marrero, Co-Chair) – 5 min.*
       Next meeting date: TBA 
        
    7. 4 x 4 Joint Task Force Committee on Housing: City Council/Rent Board – 5 min.*
       (Chair and Co-Chair TBA)
       Next regularly-scheduled meeting: TBA
        
    8. Updates and Announcements – 5 min.*
        
    9. Discussion of items for possible placement on future agenda – 5 min.*
        
11. ADJOURNMENT