Supes eye jail for deceptive landlords
A group of San Francisco supervisors wants to keep the city’s landlords honest by dangling the threat of jail time if they evict tenants on the pretense of moving in themselves but then don’t actually move in.
The proposal by Supervisors Jane Kim, Aaron Peskin and Hillary Ronen is a more far-reaching version of a similar bill that Supervisor Mark Farrell introduced earlier this month. All four politicians want to clamp down on fraudulent owner-move-in evictions, which they see as a pretense for crafty property owners to boot out rentcontrolled tenants.
And all four have agreed on a deterrent: a law requiring owners to declare under penalty of perjury that they plan to occupy the property for three years and then to follow up with official verification, such as a utility bill.
But the proposal by Kim, Peskin and Ronen goes a step further. It would make it a misdemeanor for an owner to pretend to take over a unit, and then rent it to someone else at a higher price. A conviction on that misdemeanor would carry a $1,000 fine and the possibility of up to six months in jail.
Peskin said that several supervisors took up the issue at the same time but that the misdemeanor charge his group added is critical because it will enable the district attorney to prosecute landlords suspected of the deception.
“Passing laws that are unenforceable is a waste of time,” he said. Peskin is himself a landlord: He rents out three units on Telegraph Hill.
Farrell declined to say whether he will incorporate the other supervisors’ amendments into his legislation.
“I always keep an open mind on policy and look forward to the discussion ahead in committee and at the board,” he said.
Barring a merger, the dueling bills will be up for a committee vote in May.
— Rachel Swan Opening day: It took more than a year, but Alamo Square Park is finally set to reopen. The day is May 24.
The iconic park closed last May for what was supposed to be a $5.3 million, seven-month renovation. But record rainfall, including more than 27 days of heavy rain, stalled the project. Shrubs went unplanted, sod couldn’t be installed and spring flowers wouldn’t grow in the flooded soil.
The renovations improved the park’s irrigation system, which will cut down on flooding and water use. A crowdfunding campaign also will bring 45 new trees to the park.
The park, where tourists stop to view and photograph the famous Painted Ladies row of Victorians on Steiner Street, has in past years been a popular drinking stop during the annual Bay to Breakers race. That won’t be possible this year, as the race is May 21, three days before the park reopens.
An opening ceremony will be from 11 to 1 p.m. May 24.
Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan @LizzieJohnsonnn