Alameda County Board of Supervisors Special Meeting

This is your moment and we need your voice. On Tuesday, July 22 at 3:00 PM, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will decide how to spend $700 million in Measure W funds. Without your voice in the room, small rental housing providers could be left out…again. It is critical that rental housing providers show up to speak during public comment.

EBRHA is calling on you to show up and speak out during public comment to demand funding for housing preservation AND legacy rental property owners who suffered from non-payment of rent during a 3+ rent eviction moratorium. Preserving existing housing stock and supporting small, independent rental housing providers is just as important as building new housing units.

For over 3 years, small property owners bore the cost of unpaid rent and were forced to subsidize renters during the moratorium—many not receiving any financial support, especially in cities like Oakland that did not have enough emergency rental assistance funding to meet the demand. Supervisors Haubert, Miley and Fortunato-Bas have been on the record clearly calling for the county to step up and do more to help small rental owners/operators who were financially impacted.

IF WE DON’T SHOW UP, WE WILL BE SHUT OUT!

EBRHA and its members must strongly urge the Board to allocate a minimum of 25% or $175M of Measure W funding towards housing preservation and small property owner support in these ways:

• $100 million to repay small housing providers who were severely impacted by 3+ years of non-payment of rent during the eviction moratorium

• $50 million (and annually) for housing preservation grants and low-interest loans, habitability repairs to maintain older housing stock, and education/support services for small property owners/operators

• $25 million (and annually) to create a permanent county-wide emergency rental assistance  program (ERAP) for rental assistance and housing stability

The remaining 75% of funds ($525 million) would be allocated to building, converting, and rehabbing below-market-rate (BMR) deeply affordable housing, but with strategic conditions in place (e.g., a maximum per-square-foot cost) to drive accountability, innovation and efficiency in construction.

The July 22 BOS meeting agenda may be found here: https://alamedacounty.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=alamedacounty_4f17a4f0eaf141930562aa4b853c7d48.pdf&view=1

We Need You in the Room! Please RSVP to Attend the Meeting and Speak During Public Comment

Your participation is critical. Tell your story and share your truth. By attending, you can help ensure that the voices of responsible property owners are heard.

We know your time is valuable, and this a rare opportunity to influence policy at the highest level in Alameda County. Your involvement makes a real difference in shaping policy that affects your investment, your renters, and the broader rental housing community.

If you cannot attend in person, you may attend virtually at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81383425912

Thank you for staying engaged and helping advocate for practical solutions. If you have any questions about the meeting or need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at membership@ebrha.com