City Government
Council Votes 7-0 Tenant Rent Protections
City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to pass stronger rent laws, limiting annual rent increases to no more than 10 percent for tenants and imposing a 70 percent cap on costs of building developments passed to tenants.
Advocates for both tenants and landlords came to a resolve after Vice Mayor Reid encouraged both parties to mediate and come to a mutual agreement after a Feb. 25 Community and Economic Development meeting. The agreed upon resolution was presented to the council on Tuesday before the vote.
“I’m very pleased with the things that happened, and have the deepest appreciation for everyone involved,” said Vice Mayor Larry Reid. “The compromise is a viable working victory for both landlords and tenants.”
Proposed by Councilmember Libby Schaaf and seconded by Vice Mayor Larry Reid, the motion was passed with seven ayes and one excused from Councilmember Desley Brooks who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
Reid went on to acknowledge James Vann, Greg McConnell, Luke Blacklidge, Marc Janowitz, Michele Byrd, Connie Taylor, Rich Illgen, and Councilmember Schaaf.
Schaaf pointed out that the 10 percent cap is not limited to just capital improvements, but applies to all rent increases. Her proposal also required that rent refunds be paid with interest.
“What the Council passed let every family know that they will never get an increase of more than 10 percent in a year or more than 30 percent over five years,” said Councilmember Schaaf in an interview with The Post.
“It was a great victory for tenants and a great victory for consensus building in Oakland. Everyone was surprised and encouraged that landlord’s and tenants could reach so much consensus on how to protect our families and make Oakland’s neighborhoods stable,” she continued.
The council also unanimously passed to eliminate debt service increases and the final adoption of the ordinance will come before the council on April 1. The council will conduct a final reading of the rent regulation on April 22.
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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