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Tenants urge Richmond Rent Board to review Monterey Pines exemption after outages and habitability complaints
Summary
During a study-session update on exemptions and Regulation 202, multiple Monterey Pines residents and tenant advocates described long-running habitability problems (power outages, heating failures, pests, a building fire) and petitioned the board to remove the property's exemption; the board voted to agendaize a compliance review and evaluate the exemption at its next regular meeting.
Several Monterey Pines residents and tenant advocates urged the Richmond Rent Board on June 17 to take immediate steps to assess whether the property’s exemption should be rescinded after repeated habitability problems.
Speakers at the F11 study-session update said tenants have endured multiple failures and poor responses from management. Renee Zamora, a Monterey Pines resident, described emergency conditions: "The heater didn't work... 9:00 there was a fire in the building... We didn't get power back till Saturday," she said, asking the board to treat the situation with urgency. Another resident, Emily, said families faced a three-day power outage and persistent pest problems.
Adam Morton, staff attorney with the California Center for Movement Legal Services, presented petitions from about 25 tenants and argued the existing remedy under Regulation 204 has not provided timely relief. "This whole episode has been a really good example of why Regulation 204 is not a good enough remedy for them," Morton said, noting reports to the city dating to October and asking that staff consider scheduling a special meeting to remove MRK Partners' exemption if noncompliance continues.
Staff and counsel clarified that item F11 is a broader study of Regulation 202 and Resolution 19-01 affecting exemptions citywide, not a Monterey Pines–specific enforcement hearing. Staff said a compliance letter had been sent and the board was awaiting the city's report. Board members expressed concern about unresolved problems and moved to place a specific update and evaluation of Monterey Pines' compliance and exemption status on the next regular rent board meeting agenda. Board member Willis made the motion; Chair Typton seconded; the motion passed with two members absent.
The action taken was procedural: the board did not remove the exemption at the meeting but voted to receive a compliance update and evaluate Monterey Pines' exemption status at the next regular meeting. Speakers asked for faster, transparent remedies and that staff and the city make clear whether a 60-day notice to MRK Partners had been issued.
Next steps: the board will receive an agendaized update on Monterey Pines’ compliance and exemption status at the next regular meeting; staff said they are continuing their investigation and are awaiting the city's report.
