Oakland city leaders late Tuesday night voted to end the city's eviction moratorium on July 15.
The City Council voted to approve the ordinance in the late night hours, setting a hard end date instead of a gradual phase out that would have ended the pandemic-era eviction moratorium in September.
Certain evictions will be allowed to resume in May.
A key clause in the ordinance that would have strengthened Oakland's permanent just-cause eviction protections was not part of the approved policy.
Landlords in Oakland had expressed their opposition to the proposal, instead calling for an immediate end to the moratorium.
“I can't sleep at night because I know I have to pay this bill tomorrow and that bill the next day and I don't have enough money to pay, and I have to work day and night, three jobs to get by,” said Lynn Truong, Oakland property owner.
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She shares the beliefs many landlords do -- that they’re being taken advantage of.
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Changing course from a slow phase out over several months to a hard end date stunned and disappointed tenant advocates, who worry that come mid-July, renters unable to pay their bills will be out on the streets in record numbers
“Just to stop it abruptly like that would be like a death sentence for a lot of renters,” said Sameerah Karim, co-founder of Moms 4 Housing.
Before the vote, Oakland City Council said that if the legislation passed for a July 15 moratorium end date, the city is committed to providing outreach and education for tenants and landlords to access resources and support over 75 days before the July deadline. Moms 4 Housing plans to do the same.
Meanwhile, Alameda County's eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of April.
