Hayward Passes Emergency Ordinance To Protect Renters
HAYWARD (KPIX 5) -- Effective immediately, landlords can no longer evict tenants without cause in Hayward.
"They [tenants] need to know why they're being evicted, they can't just show up one day at home and see a notice that says you need to leave," said Elisha Crader, tenants rights activist and Hayward native.
Crader works for Central Legal De La Raza, a tenant's rights group in Oakland. She says Hayward has become a target for gentrification and eviction as more people move into the suburbs of the Bay Area.
"Just cause is the bare minimum of protections for Hayward renters," she said.
Under this ordinance, landlords still have the right to evict tenants under federal and state law, but they have to have a reason, such as not paying rent or carrying out illegal activity.
Lawmakers felt so strongly that landlords were taking advantage of evicting tenants in Hayward that they enacted an emergency ordinance on Wednesday.
"The emergency ordinance was to enact it today and not allow some of these bad-acting landlords to retaliate against a tenant," City Councilmember Aisha Wahab said.
Wahab championed the ordinance, which passed unanimously. "I think its fair, I think it's about due process and it's either you support tenant protections or you don't," Wahab said.
"It's a policy with good intentions but unintended horrible consequences," said East Bay landlord Sam'Ma.
Sam'Ma spoke on behalf of the Bay Area Homeowners Network (or BAHN). He didn't want to give his legal name for fear of retaliation. He's had to evict two tenants in the past: one for not paying rent and the other for vandalism.
Sam'Ma says he believes the policy could backfire and make landlords more choosy with tenants during the current housing crisis.
"We're going to double, triple check credit history, criminal history, eviction record. That is really going to hurt some tenants," he said.
The just cause ordinance applies to all renters in Hayward.