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The Koch brothers, who are some of the richest men in the country and have been all over the news this year for contributing to right wing politicians, lost a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Utah recently. How wonderful it is to see these corporate f_ _ _ _ , who think that their money will bring them victories wherever they apply it, actually lose for once. Jim Hightower writes in his blog that “it’s always good to see a corporate bully get popped right in the snout by those it’s bullying – and what bully is more deserving of a comeuppance that Koch Industries?” The Koch brothers have been taking full advantage of the activist ruling in the Citizens United case by our activist, conservative Supreme Court, by donating massive sums of money to fighting against global warming regulations, and unions.
It started in December 2010, when a little known group entitled Youth for Climate Truth posed as Koch Industries (just like the Yes Men), and sent out a fake press release. The press release in essence said that the Koch brothers had realized that global warming was actually accurate and that they were done opposing the regulation of emissions which contribute to global warming.
When the Koch brotherhood found out about this spoof they went after the youngsters as hard as they could, by filing a lawsuit in federal district court claiming financial damages, “cyberspoofing” (that’s a new one on me) and trademark infringement. CONTINUE READING →
Miguel Wooding was something of a super hero, as he was called by one of his young relatives. For example, he could eat 3 plates of food in one sitting!
No, really, he was a one in a million kind of guy and as close to a super hero as any human comes.
I attended his memorial last Saturday and was quite moved by the many eulogies. Not only was he a homeless and tenant activist, including being the founder and longtime Executive Director of the Eviction Defense Collaborative here in SF (“EDC”), but he was an avid bicyclist, a black belt in Akido and so much more. CONTINUE READING →
On July 4, 2011, a group of 50-100 activists used the celebratory occasion to draw attention to the homeless forgotten and sleeping in the streets while good housing sits empty. They took over and occupied the 43 unit former residential hotel near Mission and 20th, which has been vacant for two decades.
The demonstration was organized by Homes not Jails, drawing attention to the waste of housing which persists in San Francisco.
KTVU covered the story here:
Crain (a self identified squatter) said that Homes Not Jails was reclaiming the vacant property for homeless families and individuals. Organizers are outraged that on any given night approximately 10,000 San Franciscans are sleeping on the street.
The activists cited 2010 Census data indicating that some 32,000 housing units remained vacant.
“Personally, I’d like to see the community occupy the space, take it over and use it,” Crain said. “It’s the community that’s sleeping on the street in front of these 43 units.”
The ultimate fate of 1,500 rent controlled apartments at Parkmerced may end up on the November ballot and in the courtroom. In late May 2011, the Board of Supervisors approved the demolition of the 1,500 housing units by a 6 to 5 vote with Board President David Chui supporting such destruction along with Supervisors Malia Cohen, Carmen Chu, Sean Elsbernd, Mark Farrell, and Scott Wiener. Supervisors John Avalos, David Campos, Jane Kim, Eric Mar and Ross Mirkarimi rejected such demolition and remained supportive of saving homes as well as rent control protections for over a thousand tenants.
Under the plan, 1,500 rent controlled apartments will be destroyed and replaced with proposed units which Parkmerced has agreed to voluntarily keep under rent control.
A major point of contention between the proponents and opponents of the demolition was the enforceability of the developer’s promise to apply rent control to replacement units given current state law. According to Deputy City Attorney Charles Sullivan, the rent control promises to existing tenants are not guaranteed to be enforceable. CONTINUE READING →
The Assembly took a vote on AB 934, the litigation privilege bill that I have written about previously, which would have taken the law back to what it was prior to August 2007. Only 11 Assembly members voted for it, while it needed 41 votes to pass. Landlords, banks, lenders and other property owners have taken full advantage of this unjust CA Supreme Court ruling, to evict tenants with virtual impunity. This is a highly disappointing vote. The landlord lobby in Sacramento killed the bill and it has been alleged by some of those in the know that much of what was being fed to Assembly members by various interests, was just not true. Obviously this kind of thing has been going on in state capitols and in D.C. for as long as there has been government in this nation, but it is still disgraceful for Assembly members who are majority Democatic to pay no attention to the needs of tenants, while bending over backwards for landlords. It appears that the only way tenants’ rights on this issue will ever be restored is through the ballot. However, tenants statewide would have to raise a massive sum to take on the landlords and other special interests. We would have to assume that the landlords and banks would spend at least 10 times the amount tenants would raise if a proposition could even make it to the ballot. See my earlier blogs for more information on AB 934.
Our law office represents tenants who sue their landlords for the damage they do. Stories abound and proliferate, in history as well as countless landlord tales — both true and somewhat so — told, sung and spat by many (i.e. see the Pogues “Bastard Landlord”).
Now, honesty leads to the belief that not all landlords are rotten. In evidence of this, is the Acalanes Apartments in Lafayette, California. It seems that many years ago the owner of this apartment building landscaped his then newly built property with edible shrubs and trees including lemons, figs, oranges, plums, pineapple guavas, pomegranates, and olives. When the fruit ripens, tenants harvest what they can reach; the manager gathers the higher stuff and puts it out in baskets for the tenants. The owner even put in a community vegetable garden with deer fencing and irrigation lines for the tenants and anyone else who helps to volunteer in the garden.
Sustainability – in more ways than one.
See the article at the Lamorinda Patch
This week, a raging fire erupted at an apartment building located at Folsom Street between 6th and 7th Streets – the heart of the South of Market Neighborhood in San Francisco. The 4 alarm fire engulfed the Park Hotel, a 48 unit residential hotel and spread to adjacent buildings leaving many displaced.
After the fire was finally contained, approximately 75 people registered for Red Cross assistance, 2 were taken to nearby hospital for smoke inhalation and at least 48 homes were lost, as well as millions of dollars in property damage. The cause of the fire is still undetermined. For more information, visit www.kron4.com.
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