Articles
[News] Organizers cheer Mountain View’s decision to enact rent control for mobile home residents
Mountain View’s city council voted 6-1 to extend rent control to the city’s mobile home parks. Read more
[News] How does the eviction ban protect Silicon Valley tenants?
For tenants behind on rent during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, experts advise following the three “S” rules: stay in your home, submit a declaration and seek rental assistance now. Read more
[News] Mountain View City Council votes to shake up city's Rental Housing Committee
Mountain View's Rental Housing Committee (RHC), tasked with overseeing rent control in the city, is poised for big changes this year after the City Council voted Tuesday to demote one of the longest-serving members in favor of a newcomer. Read more
[News] San Jose talks campaign finance after dramatic and costly election
As San Jose winds down from a feisty and expensive election season, Councilmember Sergio Jimenez asked lawmakers to rethink campaign finance regulations to help restore public trust in local government. Read more
[News] Facing pressure, City Council drops plans to appoint rent control committee members early
The Mountain View City Council will not add members to the city's Rental Housing Committee (RHC) later this year, following an uproar by residents who slammed the proposal as an attempt to subvert the will of the voters this November. Read more
[News] Committee picks apart city's rent control law
Seeing a chance to rework rent control in the 2020 election, the city's Rental Housing Committee took an opportunity to spitball some ideas for improving the law. Read more
[News] Tenant buyout rules approved by RHC
A package of policies to allow landlords to negotiate side deals with tenants to buy them out of rent-controlled apartments was approved by the Mountain View Rental Housing Committee on Monday, Feb. 11. Read more
[News] RHC quashes rent increases on Del Medio
It started nearly a year and a half ago, but the city's most vexing landlord-tenant dispute has finally reached a resolution. Read more
[News] SJ Reconsiders Recusal Policy Following Councilwoman’s Abstention From Ellis Act Vote
Councilwoman Maya Esparza's status as a rent-controlled tenant has prompted a discussion about the city's recusal policy. Read more
[News] Ortiz to resign from rent control committee
Measure V advocate plans to leave for Texas
. Read more
[News] RHC member accused of bias for being a tenant
City attorney says AvalonBay complaint has no merit. Read more
In addition, please see my response to the allegations on facebook.
[News] Mobile home residents ready to sue city over rent control
Rental Housing Committee, against attorney advice, won't include mobile home park tenants under Measure V regulations Read more
[News] Ortiz to head Rental Housing Committee
Plan for expedited petitions for rent increases wins approval Read more
[News] RHC majority pushes for extra rent increase
Lawyers for rent control committee warn the plan will invite lawsuits Read more
[News] Rental committee rejects covering mobile homes
Mountain View's Rental Housing Committee on Monday night reaffirmed its opposition to expanding the city's rent control program to include mobile homes. As a result, mobile home residents warned... Read more
[News] Committee reverses on mobile home rent control
Park owners and tenants both threaten to sue over extending rent protections Read more
[News] Amid legal threats, committee backs away from mobile home rent control
Park owners and tenants both threaten to sue city over extending protections to mobile homes Read more
[News] Rental committee seeks $1.2M handout from city
It was a true dilemma for members of the city's Rental Housing Committee on Monday night. On one hand, they needed to devise a way to fund the $2.4 million annual budget for the city's rent control program... Read more
[Blog] 3rd Annual Civic & Gov Tech Showcase
Innovate Your State, in partnership with the City of San Jose and Microsoft, recently held the 3rd Annual Civic & Gov Tech Showcase on September 13 and Code for San Jose was delighted to take part in it..... Read more
[News] Rental committee sets system for super-cheap housing
Mountain View's Rental Housing Committee on Monday approved a program for landlords to adjust rents on severely underpriced apartments, one of the final decisions needed to implement the city's new rent-control law.... Read more
[News] Rent committee pursues landlord-friendly policy?
Mountain View's proposed rent control policies would be the most generous for landlords in the state, according to tenant advocates. But on Monday, the city's Rental Housing Committee decided to tilt the balance even more in favor of property owners.... Read more
[News] What's a fair rent increase in Mountain View?
It was a painful slog for Mountain View's Rental Housing Committee on Monday night as they waded into the delicate issues of pricing and profit under citywide rent control... Read more
[News] New rent control committee gets an earful
At its first meeting, Mountain View's new Rental Housing Committee dipped its toes into a torrent of controversy surrounding the city's push to control local apartment rents. The three-hour meeting on Monday, May 8, remained largely polite and procedural, but it set the stage for plenty of difficult decisions to come.... Read more
[News] Last-minute change to rental committee
After months of evaluating candidates, the Mountain View City Council on Tuesday formally appointed members to its Rental Housing Committee, a largely independent panel that will take on the complex job of administering citywide rent control.... Read more
[News] Final five picked for MV rent control committee
After months of screening candidates, Mountain View City Council members have finally landed on their picks for the city's inaugural rental-housing committee... Read more
[News] Local Democrats vote for state delegates
More than 700 people from State Assembly District 24 stood in the rain Jan. 7, waiting to enter Hillview Community Center and vote for local delegates to the 2017 California Democrats State Convention.... Read more
[News] Wanted: more applicants for rent-control board
It didn't quite rise to the level of naming a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court -- but at times the Mountain View City Council's Feb. 21 meeting sure did resemble that kind of ordeal... Read more
[News] Council will defend Measure V in court: Rent control measure faces lawsuit; candidates for rent control board selected
Despite plenty of misgivings, the Mountain View City Council signaled that the city would rally to defend the voter-approved Measure V rent-control package from a lawsuit filed by the California Apartment Association... Read more
[Op-ed] Council should enact strong disclosure rules for campaign spending
When voters question the integrity of an election, the ability of government to function effectively is compromised. Money in politics, particularly "dark money" spent by campaign committees with deliberately... Read more
[Blog] Code for San Jose Finds New Home at The Tech Museum
The Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose is proud to be the new home for Code for San Jose’s bi-monthly civic hack nights. Code for San Jose, a hacker brigade affiliated with Code for America, was formed... Read more
[Letter to Editor] Berman brings clear vision to District 24
As young people living in the Bay Area, we have serious concerns about the future. Housing costs are skyrocketing, our transit systems remain inadequate, and many of us struggle with low-wage jobs and student debt... Read more
[News] Code for San Jose Converts Raw Data into Civic-Driven Missions
Michelle Thong, stationed behind a Macbook plastered with a whimsical whale sticker, surveys the eclectic clutch of volunteers perched on swivel-seats at a narrow conference table in one of San Jose’s warmly... Read more
