Tenant Council Confronts Landlord to Demand Repairs in East Bay

Report from Tenant and Neighborhood Councils (TaNC) on recent action and organizing campaign in East Bay area of California.

On Monday, May 6, Valley Street Tenant Council members confronted landlord BLVD Residential/Byong Yu representatives with documentation and testimony of severe habitability issues at 2341 Valley Street, demanding a clear plan for repairs and compensation.

A caravan of 5 cars left 2341 Valley Street headed for Tamarack, 1501 Harrison Street, where they joined a group of about 35 other tenants and neighbors, in a room decorated with slogans demanding dignified housing and pictures showing the disrepair at Valley Street.

Last year, Valley Street Tenant Council collectively petitioned the rent board (RAP) over chronic mismanagement and disrepair. Pipe leaks still permeate drywall with mold and pests persist. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg — most tenants lack working heat, some now for more than a decade.

In June, July and August of 2021 landlord Byong Yu spent over $29 million to buy three apartment complexes, a total of 139 residential units, and yet his tenants at Valley Street live in deplorable conditions.

The town hall was mandated by the city to get a conversation started between the tenants and the uncommunicative property management, get clarity about planned repairs, and to negotiate terms for move outs.

Valley St. tenants worked diligently to arrange the town hall. They made sure there was proper tenant representation – they hired Spanish interpretation, brought dinner to feed each other, and prepared an agenda and a clear list of demands.

Darrell, a VSTC member, who has lived at 2341 Valley St. for the past 15 years, kicked off the town hall with a speech emphasizing the goals for the town hall: transparency and a clear plan for how the tenants’ demands will be addressed.

“We will take a virtual walk through of the conditions at valley street, documented conditions of inhumane conditions,” said Darrell, with images of the disrepair projected behind him. “We are beginning with an open heart and open ears, but we have receipts.”

The tenants gave testimonials about the conditions they have been living with, some for over a decade..

“I have been in my apartment for 15 years. I have never had heat, I have had mold, roaches, rats in the building and in my apartment.” said Darrell.

“I think the property manager should think about how inhumane this is,” added Antonia, who has lived in the building for 17 years. “There is a lot of mold, we have rats, cockroaches, and no one has answered our requests. I have 2 children, I wish the owner would care or think about this. I’m thinking about my babies.”

“In my case, there was a gas leak in the stove. They said they smelled gas at my house, I told management, they never listened to me,” another tenant Griselda said. “Something exploded and I got really angry because I pay my rent, yet the manager has never asked if I’m OK or listened. I sent a message saying I didn’t have a stove.You can sit and have your meals but I can’t. If we pay rent, we need a property manager who is present.”

As if to underscore management’s disregard for their tenants, Julieann Phipps, BLVD residential/Byong Yu representative at the town hall, left during the testimonies.

Representatives from the city, Kelly Hoffman and Corean Todd, outlined the Code Compliance Relocation Program and answered tenants’ questions about move outs and their rights under this ordinance.

Since the tenant council was formed during the early pandemic, Valley Street tenants have collectively made demands for repairs, petitioned the city, and carried out a picket outside of KP plaza, a property owned by the landlord Byong Yu. Still, Yu blames the tenants while providing no clear plans and terms for the repairs.

With collective power, Valley Street tenants will continue to demand dignified housing, repairs and clear communication from Byong Yu and BLVD residential.