Columns

Health, Housing, and Transportation are three huge concerns in the lives of many old people today… some would say the three, especially so-called low-income seniors. Five years ago, when I began the Senior Power column, I said I would focus on them.

The Berkeley Commission on Aging (a part of city government) held a Special Meeting on Sunday, November 9, 2014 “to seek public comment and broad community input on issues of health, safety, housing, transportation, communication, economic opportunity, ongoing education and community involvement.” The minutes are available online at the City website, or contact Leah Talley, Manager of Aging Services, at 1901 Hearst Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709, phone (510) 981-5178.

The Gray Panthers (not a governmental agency) met on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at the North Berkeley Senior Center. The speakers’ focus was housing. The meeting attracted the largest attendance in a long time. Julia Kato, of the Berkeley Tenants Union, moderated. 

Eleanor Walden, the Gray Panthers’ housing person, spoke about tenant displacement issues around the capital improvements (new kitchens in the units, upgraded laundry rooms, etc.) at Redwood Gardens. There are concerns about the long term effects of the "gentrification" of units, with the hidden agenda of going to market rate rents. The "dictatorial” behavior of the property manager and the building maintenance and janitorial staffs are also threatening. 

Rent Board member Kathy Harr discussed proposed changes to the demolition ordinance that would allow the City’s building department to declare that units were never rent controlled, thus allowing demolition of multi-unit buildings without the currently required replacement of permanently affordable housing. This would be the death knell of what remains of rent control. 

Retired Rent Board Analyst, Steve (Dr. Stephen) Barton discussed (1) the 100 million dollar windfall profit that Berkeley landlords have reaped since the repeal of "vacancy control" (units going to market rate with the departure of rent-controlled tenants) with the 1996 Costa Hawkins decision, and (2) the need for a windfall profit tax to fund the $75,000 that it takes to finance a permanently affordable housing unit. 

Julia Kato spoke about Section 8 tenants losing their apartments because landlords would not make repairs. 

Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) spoke about (1) the development of the Adeline Corridor being one of the few areas of the city that could have increased building affordable housing, (2) the cutbacks by the new owners of Harriet Tubman Terrace of "social benefits", (3) and the importance of senior citizens’ resident associations for dealing with autocratic housing management staff. [Not all senior housing projects in Berkeley have residents associations.] 

Councilmember Jesse Arreguin (District 4,) former Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, and Bay Area Community Land Trust’s Rick Lewis were present. [Note: Arreguin – to my knowledge -- has failed to appoint a representative to Berkeley’s Commission on Aging.]