Protesters block courthouse, rally against displacement
SAN JOSE >> More than 100 angry tenants and advocates blocked eviction hearings at Santa Clara County Superior Court on Jan. 27, protesting the displacement of renters during the coronavirus pandemic.
The standoff delayed hearings at the downtown San Jose courthouse, and at least one demonstrator was arrested during a heated struggle with sheriffs deputies. Lawyers, landlords and tenants struggled to get through the throng during the intermittent rain, enduring chants of “Fight fight fight! Housing is a human right!”
Demonstrators at the event, brought together by the Regional Tenant Organizing Network, were seeking broader tenant protections for families struggling with lost wages and unemployment during the recession. A statewide moratorium on evictions broadly prevents landlords from removing tenants for nonpayment of rent during the pandemic, although courts are hearing a limited number of cases.
“The fact that evictions are occurring during a pandemic is unconscionable,” said Tony Samara, an organizer and program director at Urban Habitat. Some tenants report being harassed by their landlords for failing to pay rent, he said.
Broader state protections would help working families and protect community health, he said. “We need to keep people in their homes now.”
The moratorium allows courts to settle disputes
that predated the COVID-19 pandemic, move-ins of a landlord’s family and emergency removals for health and safety.
The moratorium was scheduled to expire Jan. 31. Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced Jan. 25 a proposal to extend legal protections through June 30. A vote was expected last week.
State leaders face mounting pressure to quickly funnel rental assistance to landlords and tenants. California is scheduled to receive $2.6 billion in federal aid to cover missed rents for low-income residents who have lost wages. A recent state analysis estimated tenants owe $400 million, although federal estimates peg the total at close to $1.7 billion.
The pandemic has left millions of Californians unemployed and relying on aid to pay for food and housing.
Demonstrators in San Jose on Jan. 27 insisted state and local officials were not doing enough to protect renters. The rally started around 8 a.m. with protesters holding large
banners and signs blocking courthouse entrances. The court on the 100 block of First Avenue typically has eviction hearings Wednesday through Friday.
Robert Aguirre of San Jose has been helping homeless downtown residents. He said he has noticed an increase in their population and need for services. The county should be focused on helping people, not evicting them, he said.
“It’s cheaper and easier to keep people housed,” said Aguirre, 67. “This has not been anyone’s choice. Once you start evicting people, then we’re going to have more people in the streets.”
The demonstration disrupted the routine court schedule — one that already severely was limited by the pandemic, lawyers say. Many small landlords report they are suffering, too.
Landlord attorney Brian Skarbek fought through the crowd and its heckling for hearings on five cases. Three of the properties already had been vacated, he said, and the court was being asked to consider the financial settlement.