Landlords Rally at Oakland City Council Meeting, Demand End to Eviction Moratorium

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of life, including the ability of renters to pay their monthly rent. As a result, many cities and counties across the United States have implemented eviction moratoriums to prevent a wave of homelessness. However, as the pandemic drags on, some landlords are becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation. In Oakland, California, this frustration recently boiled over into a protest at City Hall.

On March 22, 2023, East Bay landlords rallied and disrupted a City Council meeting, demanding an end to Oakland's COVID-19 eviction moratorium. The policy, which was implemented in March 2020, prevents property owners from evicting tenants for non-payment of rent during the pandemic. The moratorium will end when the City Council ends its COVID-19 emergency declaration, or when the officials otherwise decide to lift the eviction ban. The council has not scheduled a vote on either item, though Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas has said that she's working on a plan to begin phasing out the policy.

At the rally before the council meeting, many property owners said they’re owed tens of thousands of dollars in rent from tenants they can’t evict. The landlords claim they're being "stolen from" by the eviction moratorium, and they called the policy "government-enabled theft." Activist Seneca Scott, who organized the rally, echoed this sentiment, saying that "we have government-enabled theft."

The rally was attended by local landlord advocacy groups, including In It Together, East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA), and the Business and Housing Network, as well as former City Councilmember Loren Taylor. The protesters filled