By Aqueila M. Lewis,
Globe Intern

Members of Just Cause Oakland and tenants impacted by the foreclosure crisis attended the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) board meeting on Tuesday to show their support for a new policy that would guarantee that water would not be turned off at tenants’ homes due to the landlord’s failure to pay water bills.

    The board turned down the organizers’ demands for now and instead voted to continue the moratorium on shutting off water to tenants living in foreclosed properties. It also directed EBMUD staff to collect more information on the issue.
    During the meeting, board members heard testimonies and letters from Just Cause Oakland, Mayor Ron Dellums, Vice Mayor Lawrence Reid, Councilwoman Nancy Nadel, attorney Brenda Adams, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency Public Health Department representative Alex Desautels, Amy DeReyes from the office of Supervisor Keith Carson, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Chair Jesse Arreguin and others.
    After the board’s decision, Just Cause Oakland held a press conference and rally. “We acknowledge board members Doug Linney, Frank Mellon and Andy Katz for their support and we are happy that the moratorium is going to stay, but we would have liked them to make a decision,” said organizer Robbie Clark. “Tenants have the right to fight and stay in their homes.”
    The EBMUD finance committee decided at their March 11 meeting to amend a staff policy proposal to include Just Cause Oakland’s three demands: 1) Put an immediate hold on water terminations on tenants in foreclosed properties where the landlord signed a contract to pay the bill, and pass a permanent policy to keep the water on; 2) Hold owners responsible for their obligations. Put pressure on owners who fail to pay their bills by contacting them directly and collecting bills from owners; and 3) Proactively notify tenants of their rights and EBMUD’s policy to keep the water on.
    Just Cause Oakland, a 450- member housing rights organization, says that the EBMUD board has the opportunity to set a national trend for protecting the rights of tenants and ensuring that utility companies are not used by banks to illegally evict tenants from foreclosed properties.
    For more information, call Kim Ota at (510) 763-5877 or Robbie Clark at
(510) 228-9015, or visit www.justcauseoakland.org.

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