Israel

San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera says when he was working as an intern at a legal clinic in the City Heights neighborhood, “Week after week, the most common issue community members sought assistance with was housing. We heard from renters who had received eviction notices despite not doing anything wrong or who were facing significant increases in rent they would not be able to afford.  Others were living in slum-like conditions and facing threats of being reported for their immigration status if they spoke out.  … I was convinced the impact I wanted to make in the community was less likely to come via legal work and more likely to come via policy work.”  Elo-Rivera expressed satisfaction that the City Council had passed his Tenant Protection Ordinance, which “will expand rights for hundreds of thousands of San Diegans.  They will have protections on the first day of their lease, they will receive a lifeline of support when they are forced to move at no fault of their own, and they will have better access to legal representation to ensure their rights are respected.” [Donald H. Harrison]