Berkeley’s 1923 fire, 100 years later | At 28, he died on Berkeley’s streets | House with famed communal hot tub up for sale

Rentals
Posted inCity

Election 2016 Berkeley: Spotlight on the Rent Board

Avatar photo by Emilie Raguso

Berkeley Rent Board candidates (clockwise from upper left): Nate Wollman, Alejandro Soto-Vigil, Leah Simon-Weisberg, Christina Murphy, Igor Tregub and Judy Hunt. Photos: Courtesy Berkeleyside wants to help you get to know your 2016 candidates for all the local races. Our final installment of questionnaires with the candidates follows, and this edition is focused on the Rent […]

Posted inCity

Election 2016: Who is Alejandro Soto-Vigil?

Avatar photo by Berkeleyside staff

Photo: Courtesy of Alejandro Soto-Vigil Name: Alejandro Soto-Vigil Age: 37 Job: Legislative assistant, Berkeley City Council and Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner What office are you are running for? Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner What is the main reason you are running? Housing is a human right. I am proud to be selected by the 2016 Berkeley Tenants Convention, a diverse […]

Posted inCity

Election 2016: Who is Judy Hunt?

Avatar photo by Berkeleyside staff

Photo: Courtesy of Judy Hunt Name: Judy Hunt Job: Non-profit executive and consultant What office are you are running for? Commissioner, Rent Stabilization Board What is the main reason you are running? I am running for re-election as a Commissioner. I won in 2012 as a small property owner, raising issues concerning older adult tenants and property owners. […]

Posted inCity

Election 2016: Who is Christina Murphy?

Avatar photo by Berkeleyside staff

Photo: Christina Murphy / Courtesy Name: Christina Murphy Age: 38 Job: Housing coordinator What office are you are running for? Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, 2016 What is the main reason you are running? I am the housing coordinator at a South Berkeley non-profit which provides supportive services to chronically under-served, homeless and at risk individuals, many of whom have […]

Posted inCity, Housing & Development

Berkeley council votes to crack down on short-term rentals of multiple units by same owner

Avatar photo by Emilie Raguso

There are hundreds of rooms and units available to rent on Airbnb even though short-term rentals are currently illegal in Berkeley. Image: Airbnb Prompted by concern that too many units are being taken off Berkeley’s long-term housing market for short-term uses such as Airbnb, the City Council voted Thursday to penalize landlords who rent out multiple properties for less […]

Posted inOpinion

Op-ed: Council must adequately regulate short term rentals to protect Berkeley’s housing supply

by Matthew Lewis

Tonight the Berkeley City Council will vote on legalizing and regulating short-term rentals, defined as rentals which last for less than fourteen days.  Currently, such rentals are illegal in Berkeley, though that hasn’t stopped multi-billion dollar companies such as Airbnb from ignoring the law.  With Airbnb’s assistance, certain landlords around the state have been able […]

Posted inOpinion

Op-ed: Why Airbnb is so popular among Berkeley homeowners (A cautionary tale on renting space in your home).

by Bryce Nesbitt

Berkeley City Council is attempting to promote creation of long-term housing by reducing restrictions on “granny flats” and “accessory dwelling units” (ADU’s). The state of California similarly has Government Code Section 65583(c)(1). But something crucial is missing: social protection for homeowners. Operating an ADU or granny flat is socially quite different from owning an apartment […]