Supervisors Mark Farrell and Scott Weiner have introduced legislation which would enable tenancy in common owners who qualified for the 2012 condominium lottery to bypass the lottery by paying a per unit fee starting at $4,000 and increasing on a sliding scale basis dependent upon the number of years the building has entered the lottery.  The legislation includes tenant protections which provide any tenants in occupancy will receive lifetime leases (note:  this is no better or worse than the current tenant protections under rent control).  In order for the legislation to pass it will require six votes from the Board of Supervisors.  Plan C has been working hard to advise the community, property owners, realtors, attorneys, and other interested citizens of the need to support this legislation.

On January 28^th at 1:00 the legislation will be heard by the Land Use Committee and if it passes committee it may be heard by the full Board of Supervisors as early as February 5th.  It is critical that supporters call and email the supervisors to show their support.  For supervisor contact info, click here:  http://www.plancsf.org/contact-city-hall/ We also urgently need people to come to the hearing and provide public comment.  The Supervisors need to hear stories and see the real people impacted by the current condominium lottery process backlog.  The Tenants Union intends to show up in large numbers and it is imperative we show representation of the parties truly impacted by the condominium lottery backlog which now is approximately 15 years based upon number of entrants.  There is a real possibility that this legislation may finally pass after years of failed efforts, but it requires action and involvement.

I hope that you will pass this onto your friends, and colleagues advising them of the hearing and requesting they (1) call or email the supervisors and (2) make the time to come to City Hall on Monday January 28^th at 1:00 PM.    I have included a link to Plan C’s website which has detailed information regarding the legislation.

For more info about the legislation, click here:  http://www.plancsf.org/2013/01/update-on-proposed-condo-bypass-legislation/