Families Uprooted In Santee Neighborhood of San Jose California

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Feb. 2, 2016 - PRLog -- About 30 renters organized by the South Bay Tenants Union came together on January 21 in the Santee neighborhood of central San Jose. They spoke out passionately against an epidemic of “no cause” evictions that are tearing apart their community, building by building. A new property manager named Alice from Realty World, they said, was terrorizing the neighborhood with 90-day termination of tenancy notices every time a family opened its mouth to complain about cockroaches or other code violations. Some tenants were threatened with similar notices unless they agreed to pay for fumigations or other repairs out of their own pockets.

Councilmember Tam Nguyen listened to the stories and was clearly moved. “My name Tam means corazon – heart,” he said. He was shocked that these habitability and human rights violations were going on right here in his Council District. “I will do whatever it takes to solve these problems,” he said, “not just this month, or just once a week, but every day.”

At a follow-up meeting with Tam on January 27, three tenants told their stories of having already been forced to move by a no cause eviction, and three more had notices pending to get out by February 16 or March 1. Tenants discussed legal defense with Silicon Valley Law Foundation, and political tactics with South Bay Tenants Union founder Victor Lecha III. They all signed letters to the Mayor and City Council calling on it to tighten rent controls and enact a tenant protection ordinance to outlaw the kind of devastating, unfair, and unreasonable evictions they are facing.

“I am the father of the family,” said one tenant. “Please be aware of the conditions we have to live in. We are humble working people. We are not criminals, much less animals, to be treated this way. Please pass a law to end these injustices.”

“Please stop these evictions,” added a woman next to him. “I have an eviction notice right now from this manager for no reason whatsoever. I am a single mother with three children, and I am pregnant. I and my children have nowhere to go.”