A CALL TO ACTION!

EQUITY & ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOR TENANTS

June 2020

HOW YOU CAN HELP – MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

  • COME to the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 9 at 9:00am at 1195 3rd Street, 3rd floor. Speak during public comment to let the Board know how you feel about this issue or bring a sign. If you need help on what to say, we can help you – see contact info below. (don’t forget your masks and social distancing). Let us know that you are planning on attending by clicking here. 

  • CALL your Supervisor and demand local action.  Find their #’s here. Need a script, click here. 

  • SHARE our social media campaign!  Click here.

The events of this week have shown us – now is the time for bold leadership and for addressing the inequities that we continue to see in our very own community.  The ability to recover from a disaster should not be based on privilege.  We cannot afford to stay silent on issues that we know are affecting some of the most vulnerable members of our community.  Ultimately, we know that we have a lot of work to do to address root causes and make real systems change.  As we continue on that path – we are asking for immediate actions to protect tenants.

This is about equity - renters represent some of Napa’s most vulnerable communities, including low-income families, disabled individuals, seniors, and a substantially disproportionate portion of the County’s Latinx households (60% of renters while representing 35% of total County population).

This is about economic recovery - over a quarter of Napa County’s workforce is in the sectors hardest hit by COVID-19 (restaurants, hospitality, retail, entertainment, transportation & warehousing).  73% of workers in the hardest-hit sectors earn less than $3,333 per month. At full time, this is equivalent to $39,996 per year, compared to the median household income of $84,753 per year.

ACTIONS NEEDED

We are calling on the Napa County Board of Supervisors to enact local policies that address:

  • COVID-related nonpayment of rent cannot be a cause for eviction

  • 12 months to pay back rent related to COVID

  • Terminate late fees as a cause for evictions

  • Assume COVID-19 as a reason for non-payment of rent

  • Allow tenants with emergency-related causes to break their leases

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

Thousands of renters in our County are struggling to pay rent due to COVID-19 and could face evictions when emergency orders are lifted.  These households represent some of Napa’s most vulnerable communities, including low-income families, disabled individuals, seniors, and a substantially disproportionate portion of the County’s Latinx households (60% of renters while representing 35% of total County population). Napa is the only Bay Area County without additional protections- and a roadmap to recovery and housing stability- for tenants in the aftermath of the pandemic.  The County response has been to, “wait for the State to take action.”  Low-income renters who have been economically impacted by this pandemic do not have the privilege of “waiting” for their housing stability to be decided more than three months after many lost income. Tenants need additional protections to maintain their housing, and both landlords and renters need clear, common sense direction and structure to ensure past due rents are paid back.

On May 29th, the Governor extended local authority to enact protections regarding evictions. As the County awaits state action, the state response has been to allow/ encourage jurisdictions to address this based on local needs. It is time for the County to accept this responsibility and act based on the needs of its most vulnerable residents.

HAVE QUESTIONS?