The San Jose City Council will be addressing a few different issues about renters’ rights and protections. We're supporting our partners, DeBug, who are part of the Renters' Rights Coalition.
Why is this important?
There is a housing crisis in the Bay Area. It is going to take multiple policy approaches for this issue to be addressed, and one of pieces is ensuring some fair protections for the city’s existing residents. These issues disproportionately hit people of color, because of the lasting impact of our countries racist housing policies. (More [here] and [here]) Our Accountability Partners at DeBug and other friends like the Renters’ Rights Coalition are asking us to show up and support these protections, especially after we were able to bring so many people to the Council in November, last time some of these issues came up.
What will we be doing?
We are there to show the City Council that many people care about affordable housing and tenant protections, and that this is an issue they need to pay attention to. So, some of us will be holding signs (bring them from last time if you have them, but we’ll have some there too). Some of us will testify to the council, and we’ll have people around who can help you prep your testimony (it’s brief and you can read from your notes if that helps). Wear red so they can see that we’re all together as a large group.
I’m excited, what else can I do?
There are a lot of roles, like greeting our supporters and helping them find the council chambers, to taking pictures and posting on social media. You can sign up for those [here].
How do I get there / where do I park / how long will it go?
Directions and parking are [here], and you can get your parking validated at the meeting. San Jose City Hall is by the Santa Clara and First / Second Streets VTA station, and there is bike parking as well.
The Council session will go as long as it needs to, and last time went pretty late into the night. If you’re only able to come for a little while, that’s fine. If you can’t come until after work, we’ll probably still be here, and we’ll try to post updates so you’ll know