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The Peace and Freedom Party, a socialist voice on the Berkeley political scene since 1967, is trying to crawl back into California politics one Gardenburger at a time. 

On Sunday, the party organized the first in a series of backyard barbecue fund-raisers to gain support and advocate for one of their principal causes – tenants’ rights. 

Bob Evans, a Peace and Freedom party member will run unopposed for Berkeley’s Rent Board this November on a pro-rent control platform. 

At the same time, the group is pushing for Oakland’s “just cause” ballot initiative this November. The initiative, if passed, would prohibit Oakland landlords from evicting tenants without a “just cause,” a right enjoyed by Berkeley tenants for more than 20 years. Under Oakland’s present system, a landlord can evict a tenant at his discretion. 

Peace and Freedom party officials are hoping to use their tenants’ rights platform to expand their local membership and increase their sway at the state level. 

Until 1998, candidates from the party had run for California’s highest offices for 20 years. However, they have recently failed to garner the support necessary to run in statewide elections. 

Under California election law, a party whose candidates fail to win 2 percent of the vote in a general election must provide 86,212 member signatures to remain on the ballot. 

The Peace and Freedom Party was unable to do this in the last two state elections and is now struggling with state election rules to determine how many signatures they need to return to the ballot this year. 

“We have no idea how many signatures we have,” said party member Tom Condit, who estimated the number at somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000. He said the number is unclear because state election rules disqualify signatures of party members who did not vote in the last two state elections, and some of the signatories may not have voted. 

Evans said over the past four years the state had disqualified approximately 30,000 party members for not voting. 

About 40 people attended Sunday’s fund-raiser, which party officials say raised several hundred dollars for Just Cause Oakland and the party’s membership drive. Peace and Freedom has until Oct. 15 to present state officials with enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.