FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case marks beginning of enforcement measures for new tenant protections

DALY CITY — A Daly City landlord has withdrawn eviction notices for dozens of families after a tenant association, Familias Unidas en Daly City (Familias), filed a lawsuit to halt the evictions. The notices were sent just after the legislature passed AB 1482, otherwise known as the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which protects roughly eight million tenants in California from unreasonable rent increases and unfair evictions.  The families will now remain in their homes over the holidays and enjoy greater stability in the future.

Shortly after the passage of the Tenant Protection Act, the landlord issued notices to at least 25 tenant families demanding that they move out for no reason. Those who were threatened with eviction include low-income families who have lived in their apartments for decades, elderly individuals, and people with disabilities who rely on fixed incomes. The notices initially demanded that tenants leave their homes in the middle of the school year, right before the holidays, even though tenants had paid rent on time and complied with their leases.

“With the passage of the Tenant Protection Act, California tenants finally have some security knowing that they will not be displaced from their homes without a fair reason,” said Madeline Howard, attorney at Western Center on Law & Poverty. “We couldn’t stand by while this landlord violated new protections so flagrantly and with such callous disregard for the tremendous hardship their actions would cause.”

Familias’ filed a lawsuit to halt the evictions, making it the first affirmative lawsuit filed by tenants to enforce new protections under the Tenant Protection Act. Shortly after the suit was filed, the landlord began negotiations and eventually withdrew the notices.

This case highlights the value of California’s new renter protections, as well as the need for steadfast enforcement to ensure tenants can access these new rights.

“This is something of a bellwether for what we may see in the coming months,” said Shirley Gibson, attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. “It’s important to show how the Tenant Protection Act is playing out on the ground, and for tenants to know that with its passage, when they stand up for their rights, they can win and remain in their homes.”

MEDIA CONTACT:

Courtney McKinney: cmckinney[at]wclp.org

ATTORNEY CONTACTS:

Shirley Gibson, Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, SGibson[at]legalaidsmc.org

Madeline Howard, Western Center on Law & Poverty, mhoward[at]wclp.org

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Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto is a nonprofit law firm offering free legal services that improve the lives of low-income families throughout the Bay Area.  CLSEPA pursues lasting change for our clients using multiple, innovative strategies, including community education, individual legal advice and representation, legal assistance to community groups, policy advocacy, and impact litigation.

The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County has been fighting social injustice through civil legal advocacy for people living in poverty since 1959. The vision of LASSMC is for every person to have the basic necessities of life, including safe affordable housing, access to health care, economic security, secure immigration status, an appropriate education and freedom from violence and abuse. LASSMC strives to empower people to overcome the causes and effects of poverty so they can participate in their community with dignity and respect. We seek to remove barriers related to poverty, disability, race, language, age, gender, sexual orientation and immigration status through community education, legal representation, systemic advocacy and collaboration with community partners.

Western Center on Law & Poverty fights for justice and system-wide change to secure housing, health care, racial justice and a strong safety net for low-income Californians. Western Center attains real-world, policy solutions for clients through litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, and technical assistance and legal support for the state’s legal aid programs. Western Center is California’s oldest and largest legal services support center.