1921 Walnut St. is featured in the

Spring 2021 issue of the BAHA Newsletter!

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@save1921walnut

We are fighting back

1921 Walnut St. Association is a community organization led by the tenants of 1921 Walnut St. and we’re fighting against the University of California and against their billionaire donors to save our homes. 1921 Walnut St. is a 112-year-old rent-controlled apartment building in downtown Berkeley. Some of us have lived here for 20+ years. UC purchased our building on July 15, 2020 and plans to evict us, destroy our homes and community, and redevelop the property, all with the help of Gov. Newsom and notorious landlord and heiress Jacklyn Safier. UC knows they will displace us not only from the neighborhood, but likely from all of Berkeley. The University of California is bullying us with their money, power, privileged exemptions, crony-capitalism and influence.

We will not back down. We deserve to live in Berkeley too.

Backstory

UC & Gov. Newsom Team Up With Billionaire To Destroy Affordable Housing

The University of California Regents, led by Gov. Newsom, purchased 1921 Walnut St. in July 2020. Along with the developer, billionaire real estate heiress Jacklyn Safier (CEO of Prometheus and President of the Helen Diller Foundation), their plan is to destroy the building, evict all the tenants and permanently remove these rent-controlled units from Berkeley housing stock. As of January 2020, UC planned to leave 1921 Walnut St. intact and to protect the tenants of 1921 Walnut St. Originally UC and Jaclyn Safier agreed privately in a MOU to exclude 1921 Walnut St. from any redevelopment. Then in July 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, UC and Jaclyn Safier decided it would be a good time to purchase 1921 Walnut St., begin the relocation and eviction process, and permanently destroy these rent-controlled units. This information was obtained only via a public records request because the UC and Jaclyn Safier wanted to hide their plans from the public. Up until now, UC has kept the name of the “donor” hidden from the public, likely because UC knows that Californians will not accept this crony-capitalism. UC and Jaclyn Safier want to quietly push this project through without public scrutiny or public input. See all the Public Records Act request documents here.

Who deserves to live in California?

UC, Gov. Newsom + Billionaires vs The People of California

Jacklyn Safier is CEO of Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc (the largest private owner of multifamily properties in the San Francisco Bay Area), a notorious anti-affordable housing funder and Trump donor. She gave nearly $1 million alone to oppose the Rent Affordability Act (RAA) which is on the November 2020 ballot. RAA has wide support amongst Californians and California politicians and is seen as a way to make housing more affordable in California. Jacklyn Safier, the billionaire landlord, will profit from destroying affordable housing in California.

Why is UC and Gov. Newsom teaming up with this billionaire crony to destroy affordable housing in California?

UC receives public funding from our tax dollars. It’s time to stop UC and the billionaires from evicting long-term and rent-controlled tenants.

Affordable housing crisis

Support California Tenants

California and the San Francisco Bay Area are in a serious affordable housing crisis. The University of California, who receives public funding, should not be allowed to displace long-term, rent-controlled tenants and permanently destroy affordable housing stock in downtown Berkeley, or in any other community where they have a campus. Berkeley should be livable for everyone, not just students and people able to pay sky-high rents. The rent-control laws need to be honored, respected and maintained.

Rent-controlled housing should not be subject to elimination by the privileged.

Our tax dollarS fund U.C.

Make U.C. Accountable

The City of Berkeley has strong tenants’ protections and the State of California passed a new bill in 2019 called SB-330 Housing Crisis Act that supports affordable/rent-controlled housing state wide. However, the University of California refuses to comply with Berkeley rent ordinances or SB-330. We need to tell U.C. that they are not above the law and that they need to respect the voters of California and local communities. Even though the University of California receives public funding through our tax dollars, they are acting like greedy developers who don’t care about the communities in which they operate. Californians’ tax dollars should not be going toward destroying affordable housing in California and evicting long-term tenants.

It’s time to tell U.C. that they are accountable to Californians and the local communities in which they operate.

All Californians know that we have an affordable housing crisis in the state. In 2019, our elected officials passed SB-330 The Housing Crisis Act to address this crisis and to preserve, protect and create more affordable/rent-controlled housing. However, the University of California thinks that it does not have to comply with this state law. Why does U.C. think this? Because U.C. thinks itself too big and too powerful to be accountable, having so much money and influence, that no one will dare to stand up to them. The University of California thinks that no one can take on U.C in the courts because U.C has endlessly deep pockets which includes our taxpayer dollars. U.C has enormous influence in California politics and politicians are either intimidated by U.C. or helpless against U.C.’s influence.
This is not the California we want.
As Californians, we need to join together to hold the University of California accountable.

If U.C. is able to go through with their plan at 1921 Walnut St, it will give U.C. the green light to do this in any and every community across California regardless of local laws or the S.B. 330 Housing Crisis Act of 2019. Whether you live in 1 of the 10 cities where U.C. has a campus ( San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, etc…) or not – U.C. can purchase your building and you will not be protected by the local ordinances that your local elected officials created nor will you be protected by new bills your elected state representatives pass, such as SB-330. Now is the time to act and to tell U.C. that they are not above the law. U.C. needs to respect the local laws of the communities in which they operate and they need to abide by The Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB-330) to protect affordable housing across California.