Franki and Co. Fight CBRE at the Rent Board

On May 30th, Franki Velez’s eviction hearing was postponed because the landlord decided to change their argument; now we’re hearing that Franki and the collective are having so much success in their eviction battle that it may be a year before the fight is heard in Hayward again, when they expect to conclusively defeat the landlord.

In the meantime, this Thursday at 7pm Franki and co. will be heard by the Oakland Rent Adjustment Board, downtown at city hall at 1 Oscar Grant (“Frank Ogawa”) Plaza, in Hearing Room 1. The plan is to keep on winning, and you’ve been invited to join—not only to show these tenants your support, but to also let the Rent Board know during open comment that Oakland takes all tenants’ needs seriously and that we demand an end to exploitation by the landlord class. More info below.

*The Fight*

The fight all started when the collective’s building was bought by real estate mega-speculator CBRE (the largest commercial real estate services and investment firm in the world). Selling to CBRE, the landlord denied the collective their contractually guaranteed first dibs on buying the building.

At the Rent Board two matters will be under consideration. First—are the collective members valid tenants with a right to live in the building (YES!). Second—how much does CBRE owe the collective for having extensively neglected their responsibilities at landlord, by refusing to remediate lead contamination, replace and repair the rotten wall, and deal with the mice that have taken up residence ($$$!). If the collective wins the Board’s support on the first matter alone, this will mean when they return to Hayward a win is straightforward—since the landlord is trying to evict simply on the grounds that the collective aren’t legitimate tenants.

So, please join us this Thursday, ready to show the rent board we stand solid and speak righteously, with Franki and co, and all tenants.