Solano County Board of Supervisors pass measure to protect housing stability and health
 
Some good news in these trying times: renters in Solano County who have lost income due to COVID-19 can stay in their homes, thanks to the County Supervisors, Common Ground, and other partners and residents who brought the issue forward.  
 
Building on momentum from last summer’s action to assist tenants of Vallejo’s Strawberry Hill and Holiday Gardens apartments, Common Ground coordinated efforts to draft a county resolution to help tenants and landlords navigate the financial storm of the COVID-19 State of Emergency. The resolution provides guidance for paying back rents owed, once the State of Emergency ends.
 
Common Ground members realized that a short-term eviction moratorium would only delay a massive wave of evictions that would lead to an economic and a public health disaster—a humanitarian crisis for thousands of people in Solano County. 
 
Common Ground partnered with allies, including tenant attorneys, Fair Housing Napa Valley, Vallejo Housing Justice Coalition, the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council, and Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative, and researched other municipalities. Then, Common Ground presented recommendations to the county supervisors.
 
On Tuesday, the County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution which builds on statewide protections, allowing tenants to negotiate a payment schedule for unpaid rent for up to one year after the State of Emergency is lifted. The resolution also prohibits late fees during this period. Here is a link to the Board’s Agenda item: 
 
https://solano.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4426460&GUID=07CDB42B-AB5E-4388-9980-42B715C03ED0
 
“Essentially, the rent debt due to the COVID-19 emergency should be treated like any other kind of consumer debt: credit cards, utilities, etc. We aren’t denying people access to water or electricity if they can’t pay-- we give them a grace period to pay back what they owe because these things are basic necessities. The same should be true for rents” said David Lindsay of Benicia, chair of Common Ground’s housing team. 
 
Common Ground members are grateful to members of the community who shared their stories, to their partner organizations, and for the willingness of various elected officials to engage in dialogue for the common good.  
 
Bishop Bryan Harris of Vallejo’s Emmanuel Temple Apostolic Church stated “We are grateful for the work that Common Ground has done in the community, and it’s essential that groups like Common Ground stand up for people in need--especially in times like these, where we don’t want to see people being taken advantage of.”
 
 
Founded in 2013, Common Ground is made up of diverse religious and non-profits organizations in Solano and Napa Counties.  It is a broad-based, non-partisan organization that addresses issues facing our communities by building relationships and supplying members with leadership and organizing skills.
 
 

Bishop Soto was at the Common Ground Action to build a better community on Tuesday January 21st here at St. Basil's in the Gym. He was excited to hear how the Catholic community came together this past summer to put faith into action by advocating for the tenants of Strawberry Hills and Holiday Gardens. Together, we heard and shared stories about ourselves and the vulnerable in our community-- seniors, youth, the working poor and homeless. County Supervisors and Vallejo city officials were there as well. Over 250 people from across Vallejo and Fairfield attended this event! All three Vallejo parishes were well represented in the assembly.

If you would like to participate in future meetings, join us February 11th at 6pm, when we go over the stories we heard and decide what to work on! We will meet at First Christian Church 1035 Indiana St (in the hall around the corner on Colusa St.).




**Much gratitude to St. Basil the Great Parish and School staff for allowing us use of the facilities. Special thanks to Bill Ang and Noni Geli for the sound system.**

CALL TO ACTION UPDATE: 

At its regular meeting on July 9, 2019, the Council adopted an emergency ordinance limiting the amount of rent increases during a pendency emergency, regulating evictions and rolling back rents to a pre-emergency levels.  Council also requested that staff determine if a longer time period could be used for reaffirming the Proclamation. 

Staff has determined that Government Code section 8630 will allow for a 60-day time period between reaffirmation of the Proclamation.  However, in order to take advantage of the 60-day period, Council will need to amend Resolution 19-069 in which it required a 30-day time period.

The 60-day time period amendment was approved at the special City Council meeting held on August 1, 2019.

ATTEND THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON JULY 16TH AT 6 PM

CALL TO ACTION JULY 9TH:  Support your neighbor by attending the Common Ground press conference and
City Council Meeting on

Tuesday July 9th at 6 p.m. at City Hall
(555 Santa Clara Street)

What if you received a note taped to your door stating your rent was going up by $1000 in 60 days?  It happened at both Strawberry Hill and Holiday Garden apartment complexes. Many of the residents are elderly Filipino immigrants; others are seniors or disabled on fixed incomes or the working poor.  They don’t know where they will go. Some of our St. Basil parishioners live in those apartments.  Our neighbors could become homeless in a matter of weeks.  

The City Council of Vallejo has promised to help them-- and we need to show the city council that these tenants have the community’s support!
 
Saint Basil’s is partnering with the Vallejo Catholic parishes and other religious churches and institutions in Vallejo as members of Common Ground to support these neighbors-- and our community as a whole.  Stop by on your way out of mass and sign up if you want to learn more about how to help.  Or leave your name and phone number with the Parish Office 644-5251. We ask that you sign up so our volunteers can call you to remind you.