BPOA News & Commentary

This section houses newsletters and select articles—including President’s Messages and guest-written editorials—from BPOA’s archive dating back to 2008. Explore past issues to see how Berkeley’s rental housing landscape has evolved.

Free Resources Policy & Regulatory

June 2020 Issue
June 2020 Issue

Inside this issue: Berkeley Rent Board Head to Retire; Rent Board Targets Golden Duplexes & ADUs; Rent Payments Grew in May; CA Eviction Ban Q&A; UC Campuses to be Open in the Fall; Berkeley's 90 Million Dollar Cushion; Monthly Meeting Info for June... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted06/1/2020


May 2020 Issue
May 2020 Issue

Inside this issue: Coronavirus QA for Renters, Landlords; Third of Renters Fail to Pay April Rent; Proposal: No Rent/Mortgage Payments; Oakland City Council Abuses Powers; Powers & Duties: Rent Stabilization Board; Chart: Rents by Neighborhood; Monthly Meeting Info for May... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted05/1/2020


April 2020 Issue
April 2020 Issue

Inside this issue: COVID-19, Your Tenants & the Rent; Confessions of a Former Housing Provider; Berkeley Health Directive & ER Ordinance; Berkeley: No More Criminal Background Checks; How Rent & Eviction Laws Aggravate a Crisis; Suggested Tenant Message re: TP; Misplaced Kudos - A Follow-Up... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted05/1/2020


March 2020 Issue
March 2020 Issue

Inside this issue: SB30: Key Detail Emerges in Mountain View; RIP WB50: Fails by Three Votes; Berkeley's Quest to Create Housing; Berkeley Mayor Announces TOPA; Monthly Meeting Info; Important Changes to Our Meeting Schedule... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted03/1/2020


February 2020 Issue
February 2020 Issue

Inside this issue: The Bill That Could Make CA Liveable; A Rent Control Repeal Lesson from the 90s; Housing the Homeless 4.0; Chart: Average Rent by East Bay City; Up, Down, Maybe Sideways; Monthly Meeting Info; Important Changes to Our Meeting Schedule... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted02/1/2020


January 2020 Issue
January 2020 Issue

Inside this issue: Berkeley & BART Housing Agreement; Riding California's Rent Control Wave; Oakland Housing Fee Leads Nowhere; Oakland Condo Conversion Changes?; Sid Lakireddy on the Coming Year; Santa Monica Weighs Renter Right to Counsel; 2019 Legislative Wins; Monthly Meeting Info... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted01/1/2020


December 2019 Issue
December 2019 Issue

Inside this issue: Seattle's Dirst-In-Line law Upheld; Governor to Sign Rent-Cap Bill; Berkeley Might Ban Background Checks; Announcing the 2019 Holiday Dinner!; CA Restaurant Assc. Sues Berkeley Over Gas; Link to NOLO Discussion of New Rent Law; Monthly Meeting Info... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted12/1/2019


November 2019 Issue
November 2019 Issue

Inside this issue: Long Beach, Gov. Newsom Name in Lawsuit; New Laws Should Ease Building; Five Things to Know About the TP Act; Facebook Pledges $1 Billion Towards Housing; Fixing the Problem is Like Whack-a-Mole; Announcing the 2019 Holiday Dinner; Monthly Meeting Info... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted11/1/2019


October 2019 Issue
October 2019 Issue

Inside this issue: State Lawmakers Pass Rent Cap Bill; Statewide Rent Control Won't Help; "Housing Crisis Act" Heading to Governor's Desk; Bay Area Housing Production Up in 2019; Backroom Housing Deal Reflects Failed Policies; Berkeley: More People Living in Cars & RVs; BRHC Adds New Staff Member... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted10/1/2019


September 2019 Issue
September 2019 Issue

Inside this issue: City of Sacramento Approves Rent Control; Special Meeting for New Members; Feature: Handling Unpermitted Units; Oakland Dominates Housing Production; El Cerrito Scraps Just-Cause Eviction Law; CA Legislature Should Kill Rent Control Bill; Monthly Meeting Info... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted09/1/2019


August 2019 Issue
August 2019 Issue

Inside this issue: Berkeley to Remove Gendered Language; Berlin's Senate Mandates Rent Freeze; Oakland to Require Section 8 Consideration; Housing Crisis: 8 Astonishing Numbers; Local Rent Controls Coming to More Cities; Monthly Meeting Info... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted08/1/2019


June 2019 Issue
June 2019 Issue

Inside this issue: It's A Tough Job, But; SB50 Round-Up: Can Newsom Find a Path?; Be Very Outraged; SB50 Snaoshot: ApartmentGuide 2019 Report; Monthly Meeting Info... Continue Reading

Postedby BPOA Master
Date posted06/1/2019