Thursday’s Briefing: Oakland City Council proposes ordinance to protect renters from coronavirus-related evictions; A’s season is postponed

Thursday’s Briefing: Oakland City Council proposes ordinance to protect renters from coronavirus-related evictions; A’s season is postponed

STEVEN TAVARES

Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas is introducing an ordinance to protect renters who may face evictions due to the coronavirus outbreak.


Berkeley approves ‘ban the box’ ordinance for renters

News you don’t want to miss for Mar. 12:

1. The Oakland City Council set the stage on Wednesday for an ordinance that protects renters who may be affected by the fallout of the coronavirus from eviction, the East Bay Times reports. The council also sent a letter to the Alameda County Superior Court asking for a pause on current evictions and new filings until the proposed legislation comes to the council on April 7. $$

2. The Warriors and A’s announced their games would be either played without spectators or postponed, then the National Basketball Association suspended its season on Wednesday and Major League Baseball postponed the beginning of their season for three weeks on Thursday, the East Bay Times reports. Major League Soccer also suspended its season for a month. The men’s and women’s March Madness basketball tournament is also canceled. Live shows and concerts, and even Disneyland, will be shut down due to the coronavirus. $$

3. Oakland Chinatown’s Peony Seafood Restaurant and Fortuna are temporarily closing because of precipitous drops in business, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Both restaurants are large, banquet-style establishments. $$

4. The Grand Princess cruise ship that held a number of passengers who tested positive for the coronavirus, will remain docked at the Port of Oakland until Sunday, the East Bay Times reports. $$

5. “Berkeley has joined a small number of cities that ban landlords from conducting criminal background checks on prospective tenants or asking about their records at all,” Berkeleyside reports. The council vote was unanimous and follows similar “ban the box” ordinances in Oakland and Richmond.

6. BART settled for $6 million with the family of a 28-year-old man who was shot last year by a BART officer near the West Oakland station, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Sahkeem Tindle was shot three times in the back on Jan. 3, 2019 by a BART officer. $$

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