Saturday, January 09, 2010

San Francisco Court System Slammed For Judicial Bias Against Renters; Area Judges Refuse To Follow Laws Protecting Tenants, Advocate Says

Dean Preston, an attorney and director of Tenants Together, California’s Statewide Organization for Renters’ Rights, writes in BeyondChron:
  • As 2009 drew to a close, the Appellate Panel at SF Superior Court quietly upheld the eviction of long-term San Francisco resident, Susan Suval. Without any explanation, the court rubber-stamped the erroneous trial court ruling that allowed a landlord to invoke the Ellis Act(1) despite a written agreement with the City that he would do no such thing. The case stands as the latest example of judicial bias against renters in San Francisco’s Superior Courts. Despite its progressive political climate, San Francisco continues to be one of the worst places in California when it comes to judicial bias against tenants.

For more, see Judicial Bias Out of Control in SF Superior Court.

(1) The Ellis Act is a California state law that allows a landlord to boot a tenant against whom there may be no apparent reason for eviction if the landlord intends to move into and occupy the property.