María Poblet

Rent Stabilization Board commissioners unanimously supported the proposed “Housing for a Diverse, Equitable and Creative Berkeley” framework and elected Mari Mendonca to replace former commissioner Christina Murphy at Thursday’s monthly meeting.

The results of Election Day perpetuated a series of flips and changes on the local, state and national stages. Among the highlights — a national flip in the House of Representatives, a state rejection of the expansion of rent control and a contentious Berkeley City Council District 1 race.

In the race for Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board, the Community Power Slate — which includes James Chang, Paola Laverde, John Selawsky, María Poblet and Soli Alpert — won the available seats as of press time at 2 a.m.

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín announced his first-preference endorsements for the Berkeley City Council elections, recommending Igor Tregub for District 1, Councilmember Kate Harrison for District 4 and Rigel Robinson for District 7, but Arreguín did not endorse any candidate for District 8.

Berkeley is in the midst of a dire housing crisis, and now more than ever, the city’s Rent Stabilization Board has an incredibly important role to play in regulating rents and protecting tenants’ rights. This November, Berkeley voters have the opportunity to elect five new commissioners to the board. Berkeley needs commissioners who are going to fight for tenants’ rights. And those candidates are Alpert, Chang, Laverde, Poblet and Selawsky.

Five of the candidates — James Chang, Judy Hunt, Paola Laverde, María Poblet and John Selawsky – have prior experience as rent board commissioners. Only three — Soli Alpert, David Buchanan and William “Three Hundred” Caldeira — have not previously served on the board.

Low-income Black and Hispanic residents make up a disproportionate number of out-movers from the Bay Area to more affordable parts of California, according to a study published by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley and BuildZoom.

Candidates running for the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board in the upcoming November elections gathered at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters to answer prewritten and audience questions about affordable housing and landlord-tenant relations Wednesday evening.

Along with current District 7 City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who endorsed Robinson earlier this month, District 8 City Councilmember Lori Droste and District 3 City Councilmember Ben Bartlett also endorsed Robinson.

A golden duplex is a two-unit property that is exempt from rent control after an owner lived on-site in 1979 and an owner currently lives on-site.