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🐝 ACCE Newsletter - Spring 2024 🌷
| From | Christina Livingston <[email protected]> |
| Subject | 🐝 ACCE Newsletter - Spring 2024 🌷 |
| Date | May 28, 2024 6:40 PM |
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Happy spring season to our ACCE family!
We hope that everyone is enjoying the warmer weather, spring showers and upcoming May flowers! Over the past three months, ACCE members have been actively setting the groundwork for housing, education, and climate justice and preparing for the 2024 Election with our democracy on the ballot.
In this newsletter we will highlight some of our successes over the spring, where we are going next, and how YOU can be part of this people powered movement.
** APRIL 29th HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT DAY OF ACTION
------------------------------------------------------------
On April 28-29th, over 600 community members from all corners of the state converged upon Sacramento for Housing Now!'s annual Sacramento Lobby and Action day.
ACCE had some 280 members in attendance, many of whom bussed up from Los Angeles and San Diego (those were 10+ hour trips - talk about dedication!).
Here is a great video that, in many ways, "says it all":
[link removed]
Here is great TV news coverage our activities garnered:
KGET News: Protesters march demanding CA lawmakers invest in more affordable housing
[link removed]
Most of the policy issues we focused on had to do with 1) Increasing funding for truly affordable housing, and 2) Reining in corporate landlords and their ownership of our neighborhoods. Here is the day's full policy agenda with all the bills we are fighting for - check them out! ([link removed])
The public events in the afternoon centered around the failure of Governor Newsom, and the state as a whole, to take the steps necessary to meaningfully address the housing crisis. Specifically, we focused on the Governor's commitment to create 1 million new, affordable homes by 2030 and the level of public investment required to get us even close...something the state is failing to do.
Our communities intend to continue sounding the alarm and continuing to pressure the state to approach housing as a basic human right.
It's time for our government to accept its responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to a safe, stable and affordable home!
** ORGANIZING HIGHLIGHTS
------------------------------------------------------------
** CONTRA COSTA
------------------------------------------------------------
Our Contra Costa chapter has been working hard to ensure healthy homes and adding tenant protections on the ballot for this November election!
Affordable Energy & Healthy Homes: Over the past few months we have been working hard on our Richmond “Clean Energy, Healthy Homes” Campaign to help transition away from toxic gas appliances towards healthier, cheaper alternatives. This campaign is especially aimed at protecting our children given that children living in a home with a gas stove have a 42 percent increased risk of experiencing asthma symptoms. Asthma is already bad enough in Richmond - while statewide, asthma rates are only 13 percent, in Richmond, it approaches nearly 25 percent! Our goal is to create a partnership between the City of Richmond and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to kickstart a neighborhood decarbonization pilot program that would transition an entire community away from gas appliances and towards electric ones at no cost to the residents.
Rent Control, Just Cause, and Tenant Anti-Harassment: We have also been hard at work over in the cities of San Pablo and Pittsburg gathering signatures from residents to add strong tenant protections to the November ballot. The protections are part of our Tenant Protections Ordinance Package that includes rent control at 3% annual rent increases, tenant anti-harassment laws and just-cause eviction protections all in one go. After months of door knocking and signature gathering we gathered over 1,600 signatures and in Pittsburg we gathered a WHOOPING 4,000 signatures!
** LOS ANGELES
------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles ACCE has been highly active over the past few months and keeping up the momentum.
Renter Protections: We organized a Keep LA Housed Town Hall in Van Nuys to educate community members about seven amendments we need the City Council to pass to strengthen the Los Angeles’ Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (TAHO). In attendance were over 100 community members, three elected officials, and multiple news outlets who covered the event!
Education: We supported 4,000 teachers as they rallied at the Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) headquarters to oppose Superintendent Carvalho’s proposed staffing and program cuts. At the event, we had parent leaders give speeches and lead chants. We also called for justice for Derick Serrano, the son of a member who was fatally struck by a car as he walked home from Carver Middle School. No parent should ever have to hear that their child has been killed due to bad street planning that allows for speeding and unsafe roads.
Home Defenders: In April, we organized a direct action with over 150 LA members on Mosaic Solar in Oakland California, demanding that the company stop its predatory and fraudulent business practices in our community and return and cancel over $3 million of bad loans to our leaders.
Los Angeles ACCE is active on many fronts of our fight for a fair, equitable Los Angeles where all residents can live with dignity and pride.
** IN THE NEWS
------------------------------------------------------------
** San Diego Union Tribune Opinion: ([link removed]) Housing is a privilege in California with sky-high costs. This needs to change, now.
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
By: Iraides Gonzalez Soto - she is a tenant living in Pacific Beach and a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
I never thought that having a child would cause me to become homeless. I was pregnant and working full-time at a minimum-wage job when my daughter was born. My job refused me paid parental leave, and as a single parent without the income to afford costly child care, I was forced to stay home to care for my infant child. This cost me my income and my ability to pay rent.
Within months, my landlord threatened to call the sheriff to evict me. My daughters and I became homeless. We didn’t even own a car to sleep in. For months, I stayed with friends, until we found an emergency women’s shelter.
When the women’s shelter told us after a year that we needed to leave to make room for other families, I was pushed back into the nightmare of trying to find housing we could afford. Between a security deposit and first and last month’s rent, I was being asked to come up with nearly $10,000 to find a home. Working minimum wage as a single parent doesn’t afford me the ability to have that kind of savings.
By a miracle, we finally found an apartment. It was a stretch financially, but for the last seven years, my daughters and I have been stable. Finally — no more shelters. No more couchsurfing.
But in 2021, things changed.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE ([link removed])
** Sacramento Bee: Gavin Newsom wants California cities to plan housing for homeless — without enough money to fund it
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is sponsoring a bill that would push cities to take homeless residents into account when crafting their housing goals.
But would this legislation actually result in more affordable housing? There are concerns the state is not providing enough money to get it built.
Cities have struggled to meet their state-mandated goalposts when it comes to permitting low-income units. Some advocates say planning is an empty promise without more money to build the housing.
“Gov. Newsom continues to ignore the elephant in the room — that local jurisdictions cannot meet their housing goals at lower income levels without significant additional public funding,” said Amy Schur of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment in a statement.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE ([link removed])
** KQED: California Homeowners Say Oakland Lender Scammed Them Out of $3M in Home Improvements
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
Dozens of California homeowners allege an Oakland-based lending company conspired with contractors to issue fraudulent loans for home improvement projects that were never completed.
Nearly 160 complaints have been filed against the financial lending platform, Solar Mosaic, since 2019, according to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And on Monday, a group of nearly 100 people drove from Los Angeles to protest outside Solar Mosaic’s headquarters in downtown Oakland, demanding to meet with the company and seek loan forgiveness and repayments.
Julie Robles was among Monday’s demonstrators. The Los Angeles homeowner said Viridi Construction, a construction company working to build an accessory dwelling unit, or in-law apartment, on her property requested $75,000 from Solar Mosaic, which the lender allegedly granted without any prior authorization from her.
“I’m already retired, so if something happened, I wouldn’t be able to recover the money,” said Robles, who is trying to get out of a $75,000 loan, plus nearly $3,000 in interest and fees. “I trusted them.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE ([link removed])
** LEGAL
------------------------------------------------------------
Movement Legal: More cities will have tenant protections!
In March, the ACCE legal team spun off into its own organization as California Center for Movement Legal Services or Movement Legal for short. Movement Legal is still part of the ACCE family and continues to provide a massive amount of policy and litigation support for ACCE.
Movement Legal has been busy providing legal support to butrice campaigns to extend tenant protections across California. Movement Legal drafted 6 ballot measures for the November 2024 election. These cities included Larkspur, San Pablo, Pittsburg, Redwood City, Delano and Imperial Beach. By May 21, 2024 all will have filed completed petitions with their city clerks offices. All of these ballot measures have strong ordinances like the protections ACCE members won in Richmond and Oakland.
Several cities with Movement Legal support have recently passed tenant protections including rent stabilization in San Anselmo and Concord, California. We will soon deliver a draft for Antioch City Council.
If you want to learn more about the several movements happening across the state check out the list below!
BERKELEY
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: Berkeley Rent Board Chair and Vice Chair, UAW-UC, SEIU 1021, Cal Dems, Berkeley Tenant Union, Movement Legal
Updates:
- Community ballot measure scheduled to turn in signatures May 15, 2024
- Landlord’s have already turned signatures for ballot measure that would undo the ordinance
LARKSPUR
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: Bon Air and Skylark Tenant Associations and The North Bay Labor Council and Marin DSA
Updates: Collecting signatures and on track to turn in early May 6, 2024
SAN PABLO
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: ACCE Action, Movement Legal, Rise up Juntos
Updates: Finished collecting and turning them in on April 23, 2024
PITTSBURG
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: Organizations leading: ACCE Action, Movement Legal, Rise up Juntos
Updates: Defending against landlord petitions to weaken tenant protections
REDWOOD CITY
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: TADCO RedBridget, Faith in the Bay
FAIRFAX
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
** CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: ELECTION 2024 UPDATE!
------------------------------------------------------------
ACCE Action congratulates all of our endorsed candidates who are advancing to the General Election in November! When we fight, we win!
STATEWIDE RACES
* Pilar Schiavo for Assembly District 40
* Clarissa Cervantes for Assembly District 58
* Jovanka Beckles for Senate District 7
* Marisol Rubio for Senate District 9
* Kipp Mueller for Senate District 23
* Sasha Renee Perez for Senate District 25
* Eloise Gómez Reyes for Senate District 29
* Michelle Chambers for Senate District 35
CONTRA COSTA
* Shanelle Scales-Preston for Contra Costa Board of Supervisors - District 5
OAKLAND
* Nikki Fortunato Bas for Alameda County Board of Supervisors - District 5
SACRAMENTO
* Flojaune Cofer for Sacramento Mayor
LOS ANGELES
* Ysabel Jurado for Los Angeles City Council - District 14
→ And a special shout-out to Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who won her race outright for District 4!
** ACCE MERCHANDISE!
------------------------------------------------------------
Celebrate a new year with the swag of CHAMPIONS 💪🏽 Our Sacramento-ACCE Chapter is selling iconic ACCE shirts & sweaters with key slogans like "The rent is too damn high" and "housing is a human right" in SPANISH and ENGLISH! We’re shipping all across the state! 🥳
Get yours TODAY to show the world you’re fighting the good fight 🙌🏽
Purchase your ACCE swag here! ([link removed])
** Get in touch & follow us on social media!
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed]
Copyright (C) 2024 ACCE. All rights reserved.
Acceacetion.org
Our mailing address is:
ACCE
3655 S Grand Ave Ste 250
Los Angeles, CA 90007-4327
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])
Happy spring season to our ACCE family!
We hope that everyone is enjoying the warmer weather, spring showers and upcoming May flowers! Over the past three months, ACCE members have been actively setting the groundwork for housing, education, and climate justice and preparing for the 2024 Election with our democracy on the ballot.
In this newsletter we will highlight some of our successes over the spring, where we are going next, and how YOU can be part of this people powered movement.
** APRIL 29th HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT DAY OF ACTION
------------------------------------------------------------
On April 28-29th, over 600 community members from all corners of the state converged upon Sacramento for Housing Now!'s annual Sacramento Lobby and Action day.
ACCE had some 280 members in attendance, many of whom bussed up from Los Angeles and San Diego (those were 10+ hour trips - talk about dedication!).
Here is a great video that, in many ways, "says it all":
[link removed]
Here is great TV news coverage our activities garnered:
KGET News: Protesters march demanding CA lawmakers invest in more affordable housing
[link removed]
Most of the policy issues we focused on had to do with 1) Increasing funding for truly affordable housing, and 2) Reining in corporate landlords and their ownership of our neighborhoods. Here is the day's full policy agenda with all the bills we are fighting for - check them out! ([link removed])
The public events in the afternoon centered around the failure of Governor Newsom, and the state as a whole, to take the steps necessary to meaningfully address the housing crisis. Specifically, we focused on the Governor's commitment to create 1 million new, affordable homes by 2030 and the level of public investment required to get us even close...something the state is failing to do.
Our communities intend to continue sounding the alarm and continuing to pressure the state to approach housing as a basic human right.
It's time for our government to accept its responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to a safe, stable and affordable home!
** ORGANIZING HIGHLIGHTS
------------------------------------------------------------
** CONTRA COSTA
------------------------------------------------------------
Our Contra Costa chapter has been working hard to ensure healthy homes and adding tenant protections on the ballot for this November election!
Affordable Energy & Healthy Homes: Over the past few months we have been working hard on our Richmond “Clean Energy, Healthy Homes” Campaign to help transition away from toxic gas appliances towards healthier, cheaper alternatives. This campaign is especially aimed at protecting our children given that children living in a home with a gas stove have a 42 percent increased risk of experiencing asthma symptoms. Asthma is already bad enough in Richmond - while statewide, asthma rates are only 13 percent, in Richmond, it approaches nearly 25 percent! Our goal is to create a partnership between the City of Richmond and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to kickstart a neighborhood decarbonization pilot program that would transition an entire community away from gas appliances and towards electric ones at no cost to the residents.
Rent Control, Just Cause, and Tenant Anti-Harassment: We have also been hard at work over in the cities of San Pablo and Pittsburg gathering signatures from residents to add strong tenant protections to the November ballot. The protections are part of our Tenant Protections Ordinance Package that includes rent control at 3% annual rent increases, tenant anti-harassment laws and just-cause eviction protections all in one go. After months of door knocking and signature gathering we gathered over 1,600 signatures and in Pittsburg we gathered a WHOOPING 4,000 signatures!
** LOS ANGELES
------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles ACCE has been highly active over the past few months and keeping up the momentum.
Renter Protections: We organized a Keep LA Housed Town Hall in Van Nuys to educate community members about seven amendments we need the City Council to pass to strengthen the Los Angeles’ Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (TAHO). In attendance were over 100 community members, three elected officials, and multiple news outlets who covered the event!
Education: We supported 4,000 teachers as they rallied at the Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) headquarters to oppose Superintendent Carvalho’s proposed staffing and program cuts. At the event, we had parent leaders give speeches and lead chants. We also called for justice for Derick Serrano, the son of a member who was fatally struck by a car as he walked home from Carver Middle School. No parent should ever have to hear that their child has been killed due to bad street planning that allows for speeding and unsafe roads.
Home Defenders: In April, we organized a direct action with over 150 LA members on Mosaic Solar in Oakland California, demanding that the company stop its predatory and fraudulent business practices in our community and return and cancel over $3 million of bad loans to our leaders.
Los Angeles ACCE is active on many fronts of our fight for a fair, equitable Los Angeles where all residents can live with dignity and pride.
** IN THE NEWS
------------------------------------------------------------
** San Diego Union Tribune Opinion: ([link removed]) Housing is a privilege in California with sky-high costs. This needs to change, now.
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
By: Iraides Gonzalez Soto - she is a tenant living in Pacific Beach and a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
I never thought that having a child would cause me to become homeless. I was pregnant and working full-time at a minimum-wage job when my daughter was born. My job refused me paid parental leave, and as a single parent without the income to afford costly child care, I was forced to stay home to care for my infant child. This cost me my income and my ability to pay rent.
Within months, my landlord threatened to call the sheriff to evict me. My daughters and I became homeless. We didn’t even own a car to sleep in. For months, I stayed with friends, until we found an emergency women’s shelter.
When the women’s shelter told us after a year that we needed to leave to make room for other families, I was pushed back into the nightmare of trying to find housing we could afford. Between a security deposit and first and last month’s rent, I was being asked to come up with nearly $10,000 to find a home. Working minimum wage as a single parent doesn’t afford me the ability to have that kind of savings.
By a miracle, we finally found an apartment. It was a stretch financially, but for the last seven years, my daughters and I have been stable. Finally — no more shelters. No more couchsurfing.
But in 2021, things changed.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE ([link removed])
** Sacramento Bee: Gavin Newsom wants California cities to plan housing for homeless — without enough money to fund it
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is sponsoring a bill that would push cities to take homeless residents into account when crafting their housing goals.
But would this legislation actually result in more affordable housing? There are concerns the state is not providing enough money to get it built.
Cities have struggled to meet their state-mandated goalposts when it comes to permitting low-income units. Some advocates say planning is an empty promise without more money to build the housing.
“Gov. Newsom continues to ignore the elephant in the room — that local jurisdictions cannot meet their housing goals at lower income levels without significant additional public funding,” said Amy Schur of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment in a statement.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE ([link removed])
** KQED: California Homeowners Say Oakland Lender Scammed Them Out of $3M in Home Improvements
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
Dozens of California homeowners allege an Oakland-based lending company conspired with contractors to issue fraudulent loans for home improvement projects that were never completed.
Nearly 160 complaints have been filed against the financial lending platform, Solar Mosaic, since 2019, according to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And on Monday, a group of nearly 100 people drove from Los Angeles to protest outside Solar Mosaic’s headquarters in downtown Oakland, demanding to meet with the company and seek loan forgiveness and repayments.
Julie Robles was among Monday’s demonstrators. The Los Angeles homeowner said Viridi Construction, a construction company working to build an accessory dwelling unit, or in-law apartment, on her property requested $75,000 from Solar Mosaic, which the lender allegedly granted without any prior authorization from her.
“I’m already retired, so if something happened, I wouldn’t be able to recover the money,” said Robles, who is trying to get out of a $75,000 loan, plus nearly $3,000 in interest and fees. “I trusted them.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE ([link removed])
** LEGAL
------------------------------------------------------------
Movement Legal: More cities will have tenant protections!
In March, the ACCE legal team spun off into its own organization as California Center for Movement Legal Services or Movement Legal for short. Movement Legal is still part of the ACCE family and continues to provide a massive amount of policy and litigation support for ACCE.
Movement Legal has been busy providing legal support to butrice campaigns to extend tenant protections across California. Movement Legal drafted 6 ballot measures for the November 2024 election. These cities included Larkspur, San Pablo, Pittsburg, Redwood City, Delano and Imperial Beach. By May 21, 2024 all will have filed completed petitions with their city clerks offices. All of these ballot measures have strong ordinances like the protections ACCE members won in Richmond and Oakland.
Several cities with Movement Legal support have recently passed tenant protections including rent stabilization in San Anselmo and Concord, California. We will soon deliver a draft for Antioch City Council.
If you want to learn more about the several movements happening across the state check out the list below!
BERKELEY
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: Berkeley Rent Board Chair and Vice Chair, UAW-UC, SEIU 1021, Cal Dems, Berkeley Tenant Union, Movement Legal
Updates:
- Community ballot measure scheduled to turn in signatures May 15, 2024
- Landlord’s have already turned signatures for ballot measure that would undo the ordinance
LARKSPUR
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: Bon Air and Skylark Tenant Associations and The North Bay Labor Council and Marin DSA
Updates: Collecting signatures and on track to turn in early May 6, 2024
SAN PABLO
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: ACCE Action, Movement Legal, Rise up Juntos
Updates: Finished collecting and turning them in on April 23, 2024
PITTSBURG
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: Organizations leading: ACCE Action, Movement Legal, Rise up Juntos
Updates: Defending against landlord petitions to weaken tenant protections
REDWOOD CITY
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
Organizations Leading: TADCO RedBridget, Faith in the Bay
FAIRFAX
Link to Campaign: Click Here ([link removed])
** CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: ELECTION 2024 UPDATE!
------------------------------------------------------------
ACCE Action congratulates all of our endorsed candidates who are advancing to the General Election in November! When we fight, we win!
STATEWIDE RACES
* Pilar Schiavo for Assembly District 40
* Clarissa Cervantes for Assembly District 58
* Jovanka Beckles for Senate District 7
* Marisol Rubio for Senate District 9
* Kipp Mueller for Senate District 23
* Sasha Renee Perez for Senate District 25
* Eloise Gómez Reyes for Senate District 29
* Michelle Chambers for Senate District 35
CONTRA COSTA
* Shanelle Scales-Preston for Contra Costa Board of Supervisors - District 5
OAKLAND
* Nikki Fortunato Bas for Alameda County Board of Supervisors - District 5
SACRAMENTO
* Flojaune Cofer for Sacramento Mayor
LOS ANGELES
* Ysabel Jurado for Los Angeles City Council - District 14
→ And a special shout-out to Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who won her race outright for District 4!
** ACCE MERCHANDISE!
------------------------------------------------------------
Celebrate a new year with the swag of CHAMPIONS 💪🏽 Our Sacramento-ACCE Chapter is selling iconic ACCE shirts & sweaters with key slogans like "The rent is too damn high" and "housing is a human right" in SPANISH and ENGLISH! We’re shipping all across the state! 🥳
Get yours TODAY to show the world you’re fighting the good fight 🙌🏽
Purchase your ACCE swag here! ([link removed])
** Get in touch & follow us on social media!
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed]
Copyright (C) 2024 ACCE. All rights reserved.
Acceacetion.org
Our mailing address is:
ACCE
3655 S Grand Ave Ste 250
Los Angeles, CA 90007-4327
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])
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