Alameda briefs: Housing units found not exempt from city’s rent control

ALAMEDA

In an important decision after a contested administrative hearing, an independent hearing officer concluded that 150 units of former naval housing in Alameda are subject to the city’s rent control regulations.

The hearing officer rejected the landlord’s contention that state law (the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act) prevents the city from limiting rent increases for tenants of the Admirals Cove property.

“The hearing officer’s decision affirms what the rent program has maintained from the beginning and what courts have held in several cases since the passage of Costa-Hawkins,” said Bill Chapin, who directs Alameda’s rent program.

“Namely, that the legislature intended the limits it placed on local rent control to apply to only newly constructed units that expand a city’s housing stock. The Admirals Cove property apartments have been used to house members of the Alameda community as far back as the 1960s, and their current occupants are entitled to the full protections of the rent control ordinance.”

The Admirals Cove property contains renovated townhomes on a 15-acre parcel between Alameda Landing and the city’s Main Street Ferry Terminal. Comprising 27 four- and six-unit buildings, they were originally built in 1969 to house personnel stationed at the nearby Naval Air Station Alameda and their families.

In 2017, the U.S. government auctioned the parcel and its vacant buildings. The winning bidder, developer Carmel Partners of San Francisco, renovated the units and began leasing them to tenants in October 2019.

Since September 2019, Alameda’s rent control ordinance has limited rent increases to an annual cap, known as the annual general adjustment (AGA), calculated at 70% of the change in the Consumer Price Index. As of Sept. 1, the AGA is 2.9%.

While some provisions of the rent control ordinance, including registration requirements and limits on “no-fault” terminations of tenancy, apply to all rental units in Alameda, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act prevents local governments from imposing an AGA limit on certain housing units, including units built since February 1995 and units that can be purchased individually, such as single-family homes and condominiums.

“The city of Alameda’s rent control ordinance is a centerpiece of the city’s strong policy of protecting and preserving affordable housing in our community,” said City Attorney Yibin Shen. “The City Attorney’s Office, including the rent program, is committed to justly enforcing state and local housing laws and ensuring that Alameda remains a place that people from all backgrounds and income levels can call home.”

Residents of Admirals Cove — or any other rental property in Alameda — who have questions about rent increases they have received can contact rent program staff at 510-747-7520 or rentprogram@alamedaca.gov for more information.

City co-sponsoring job fair Tuesday for over 100 positions

The city of Alameda is co-sponsoring a job fair for temporary and permanent positions available in Alameda and nearby cities. The fair will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the South Shore Shopping Center, across from Trabocco Restaurant.

More than 25 employers will be in attendance representing more than 100 open positions. Committed employers include the Alameda Unified School District, Amazon, the Bay Area Music Project, Bladium Sports & Fitness, the city of Alameda, Color Me Mine, Federal Express, Ridgemont Hospitality (Hampton Inn & Suites and Home2 Suites in Alameda), Safeway and many more regional and local employers.

Job seekers should come prepared with resumes and dressed in interview-appropriate attire. For more information, visit alamedaca.gov/2023jobfair or contact Eric Fonstein with the city of Alameda at efonstein@alamedaca.gov or 510-747-6895.

Interested businesses may register for a table online at bit.ly/44MpiWF. The job fair is co-sponsored by the city of Alameda, South Shore Shopping Center, Alameda County Social Services Agency and the Alameda Chamber of Commerce.

— city of Alameda

Former Giants player Dravecky to address Boys & Girls Club

The ABGC invites the public to join them and motivational speaker Dave Dravecky from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday for the Building Great Futures luncheon.

Presented by the Alameda Boys & Girls Club Foundation, luncheon guests will enjoy a delicious Mediterranean lunch from downtown restaurant Asena and hear the inspirational journey of author Dravecky, a Major League Baseball pitcher in the 1980s for the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.

Dravecky’s story is one of hope, courage and perseverance in the midst of dark and overwhelming uncertainty. His triumphant defeat of cancer and return to baseball is chronicled in his award-winning book, “Comeback,” which has sold more than 650,000 copies.

The author genuinely relates his own experiences with loss and suffering and powerfully inspires through the encouragement he gathered from the faith and hope he discovered along his journey. Dravecky and his wife have founded Endurance with Jan & Dave Dravecky, a nonprofit organization.

The luncheon will be in the rear building of the club at 1900 Third St. in Alameda. For luncheon tickets and more details, visit bit.ly/3skpwa5 online. For more information about Dravecky, visit davedravecky.com.

2023 Corks, Forks, Rhythm & Brews event happening Oct. 7

Held in the heart of the Bay Area on the historic Alameda Point, Corks, Forks, Rhythm & Brews is one of the most exciting luxury events of the year. Featuring California’s best wineries, spirits and breweries, gourmet foods, restaurants and live music, the event will be set amid Alameda’s bustling Spirits Alley.

All proceeds from the fundraiser from 12 to 4 p.m. Oct. 7 will directly benefit the Alameda Boys & Girls Club (ABGC), whose mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need the club most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.

Founded in 1949, ABGC has since then provided high-impact, affordable youth development programs and services for kids ages 6 to 18. ABGC is open to youth from all schools and backgrounds, every day and evening after school and during school vacations. The Corks, Forks, Rhythm & Brews event will be at on the parade lawn of City Hall West on Alameda Point at 950 W. Mall Square in Alameda. For tickets or more details, visit bit.ly/corksforks2023 online.

— ABGC

Oct. 2 walk to benefit Tourette’s, service dog organizations

Alameda residents Lauryn Adams and Dan Moran, the parents of Ben Moran, who suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, launched their first Woof Walk in 2015 to raise funds for a service dog for their son. This year, the 5K walkathon will return as the “Tic Talk Bark Walk” from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 2.

Funds raised will benefit Little Angels Service Dogs (LASD) and the NorCal Chapter of the Tourette Association. Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that can manifests as recurrent involuntary tics involving body movements (such as eye blinks or grimaces) or vocalizations (such as uttering inappropriate words).

Half of the funds will help people with Tourette’s move up on the LASD’s waitlist. The money sent to the Tourette Association chapter will support a special day camp for young children with Tourette’s at Camp Arroyo in Livermore that is run by the Taylor Family Foundation.

The walk will begin and ends in the Harbor Bay Ferry terminal parking lot (at 215 Adelphian Way on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island) and follow the San Francisco Bay Shoreline Trail. Participants with dogs are encouraged — but not required — to bring their pets dressed for a costume contest.

— Lou Fancher, correspondent

Main Street Ferry Terminal closing for over two months

The Main Street Ferry Terminal in Alameda will close for renovation for more than two months starting in late October, ferry service officials said. The terminal’s operations will be suspended from Oct. 23 through Jan. 1, according to a San Francisco Bay Ferry news release, for repair and replacement of the terminal’s aging infrastructure to comply with with seismic safety requirements.

During the closure, downtown San Francisco-bound riders can use the Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal while ferries to Chase Center and South San Francisco will only be available from the Oakland Ferry Terminal. The Alameda Short Hop route will be suspended during the closure. Operations at the Main Street terminal are planned to resume Jan. 2 for the Oakland and Alameda, South San Francisco, Alameda Short Hop, Oracle Park and Chase Center ferry routes.

“Design elements also prepare the terminal for future fleet electrification needs. Upon completion of the project, passengers will see direct benefits like more efficient ferry operations and modernized terminal lighting,” according to San Francisco Bay Ferry. For full details, visit sanfranciscobayferry.com/msa-closure online.

— Bay City News

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