Advocating for Stronger Rent Protections

Photo by Ramona Giwargis, Bay Area News Group

Earlier this week, the San Jose City Council voted on whether or not to tie rent increases for rent-controlled units to the cost of living, capped at 5%. The Law Foundation, along with partners at the Silicon Valley Renters' Rights Coalition, packed into City Hall to defend past rent and tenant protection victories and urged City Council to vote "yes" on the measure to help stabilize rents for families in San Jose. 

The vote was close, but unfortunately, the City Council did not move forward with a measure to tie rent increases for rent-controlled apartments to the cost of living. However, tenants and community members successfully organized against landlords' attempts to water down San Jose's Apartment Rent Ordinance and Tenant Protection Ordinance, crucial housing protections for over 400,000 tenants in San Jose.

Many thanks to Council Members Sergio Jimenez, Raul Peralez, Don Rocha, Magdalena Carrasco, Tam Nguyen, and Sylvia Arenas for their support. The fight to preserve renter protections in San Jose continues next Spring 2018, when the Apartment Rent Ordinance returns to Council. See you there!  

Learn more about San Jose City Council's vote from The Mercury News.
 

You Did It!

We had a great time with everyone who came together to create a stronger, more inclusive community at our Celebration of Justice dinner. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our annual partners and individual donors who gave generously to help us continue to use the law as a tool for change in Silicon Valley. Together, we can do so much more for the people in our region who need life-changing legal services -families like the Hernandez-Garfias’, who we introduced to you at the dinner.  

Thank you for an unforgettable night! 

Be sure to check out our photos and see if you can spot your friends and colleagues.