Jim Smith, 81, also worked as a mail handler and served as vice president of the Berkeley Property Owners Association.
Berkeley Property Owners Association
Posted inCity
Emergency COVID-19 tenant protection laws cause confusion in Berkeley
One major landlord appears to have been misinterpreting emergency laws intended to protect tenants. The City Council added some clarifying language to the law.
Posted inCity
Berkeley bans all evictions during crisis, giving some tenants a year to pay back rent
The new “urgency ordinance” immediately expands Berkeley’s eviction moratorium, matching county rules.
Posted inCity
Landlords can’t conduct criminal background checks in Berkeley anymore
The Berkeley City Council unanimously approved the “fair chance” legislation Tuesday, after hearing emotional testimony.
Posted inCity
Questions swirl about who’s behind cryptic ‘Better Berkeley Times’ mailer
A landlord political action committee turns out to be backer of a pamphlet raising concerns about Berkeley property taxes and mismanagement of public funds.
Posted inCity
Commission to investigate whether Berkeley mayor violated election law
By not reimbursing the expenses borne by his campaign manager in a timely fashion, Jesse Arreguín may have violated the law 18 times.
Posted inCity
Did property owners group violate election laws? Hearing has been set
Berkeley’s watchdog campaign committee will hold a hearing to see if a property owners group violated election filing laws in 2016.
Posted inHousing & Development
Fight involving Measures DD and U1 is costliest in election
Election 2016 campaign lawn signs. Photo: Pete Rosos The political action committee for the Berkeley Property Owners Association has steered more than $892,540 in donations to defeat Measure U1 and promote Measure DD, two competing measures that would raise the business tax on rental units. Perhaps none of their numerous mailings and posters, however, has […]
Posted inBusiness, Housing & Development
State watchdog agency investigates $790,540 donated to Yes on Measure DD campaign
The Fair Political Practices Commission will investigate whether the No on Measure U1, Yes on Measure DD gropu violated campaign disclosure laws. The group has spent $790K fighting a huge jump in the business tax on rentals. The group prefers a more modest increase. Photo: Kelly Owen The Fair Political Practices Commission will investigate whether […]
Posted inCity
As election nears, contributions and complaints mount
SEIU Local 1021 has donated $24,000 this election cycle to help candidates it supports. Its funds went into an independent expenditure committee that paid for this website An independent expenditure group backed by one of Berkeley’s largest unions has poured $8,112 into Jesse Arreguín’s mayoral campaign, spending the funds on a website and literature that […]
Posted inHousing & Development
Real-estate interests spend big to defeat rental tax spike
Real-estate groups have spent more than $786,000 to defeat a measure that would almost double the business tax landlords pay and to support an alternative measure with a lower tax. Photo: William Newton Real-estate groups have spent more than $786,000 in the last few months to defeat a measure that would almost double the business […]
Posted inCity
Courts weigh in on two of Berkeley’s ballot measures
Laurie Capitelli. Photo: Laurie Capitelli for mayor City Councilman and mayoral candidate Laurie Capitelli has filed a lawsuit challenging wording in a ballot measure argument that links him to business interests. In a lawsuit filed Monday against the Berkeley city clerk, Mark Numainville, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, and others, Capitelli is asking that parts of the […]