Anti-Eviction Measure
Leading In SF
By Ahmad Coo

Proposition G, the San Francisco ballot measure that would restrict tenant evictions, built up a substantial lead Tuesday night, with more than half the vote counted.

Voters were approving Proposition G by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin, with 54 percent of the precincts reporting.

“It's wonderful,” Ted Gulluckson, office manager of the Tenants Union of San Francisco said last night. “This will finally end the illegal evictions and the gentrification of San Francisco.”

Supporters of Proposition G viewed it as a way to end "unlawful evictions" that landlords have imposed on their tenants throughout San Francisco.

Critics of the proposition lamented that it will disuade families who want to own property in the city and worsen the city's housing shortage.

Under existing law, landlords could easily evict tenants from buildings if the landlords used the properties as residences and moved in any relative for a period of 12 months. After that period, the landlord would be free to rent the apartment out again at a higher rate.

Proposition G would require landlords to stay a period of 36 months, making it more difficult to evict tenants.

Furthermore, the proposition will permanently ban the eviction of elderly, diabled and 'catastrophically ill' tenants. Evictions would also be limited to one per building, even if the property was owned by multiple landlords.

The landlord would also have responsibility for trying to find an apartment for evicted tenants in other buildings owned by the landlord.

According Gulluckson, the eviction rate rose 500 percent in the city since 1995.

"The evictions have been odious," Gulluckson said.

"The biggest factor in these evictions", Gulluckson said, "has been the economic boom in Silicon Valley."

"Landlords are evicting people left and right so they can raise the rent and attract money from Silicon Valley." he said.

This year, 56 percent of the evicted persons have been forced to move out of San Francisco, he said.

"The tenants have been stuck between a rock and a hard place." Gulluckson said. "Hopefully Proposition G will help them out."

But Janan New, director of the San Francisco Apartment Association, said, "Proposition G doesn't make any sense. It's punishing people who want to own homes in the city."

New says that that tenants will be discouraged from trying to buy houses in San Francisco because of all the restrictions Proposition G will place on property ownership.

"Lots of tenants have worked hard so hard to save up and buy property for themselves only to have it taken away by this proposition."New said.

Supporters of the proposition, however, are wary of those claims. According to Gulluckson, less than 10 percent of the tenants can afford to buy their apartments.

"If people want to own homes in the city," Gulluckson said, "they should find some other way than evicting the elderly and the poor from their homes."

Landlords also vowed to file a lawsuit if Proposition G passed.

"It'll end up in the courts, " New said, "and it'll be a long drawn out and costly battle for San Francisco and we will ultimately prevail."