Tenants urge special meeting after East Palo Alto rent board continues appeal hearing

The East Palo Alto Rent Stabilization Board on June 10 announced that it will continue the posted appeal hearing in Calderon et al. v. Woodland Park Communities after outside counsel the city expected was unable to appear.

Chair Larson said the board would not deliberate on the matter that night and that the city attorney and staff would reach out to affected parties to reschedule. The board took no formal action on the appeal other than to continue it.

Several tenants who came to the council chambers said the last-minute postponement imposed an unfair burden. "The residents of East O'Keefe have a right to be heard, and every day this matter is delayed is another day that justice is delayed for the tenants who have been waiting for accountability and relief," a resident who identified themselves as Raunil said. "A last minute cancellation places an unfair burden on tenants and further delays the resolution of serious concerns."

James, representing the East O'Keefe Tenant Association, asked for a fuller explanation of the postponement and where the appeal stands. "We heard about it at around 6:20 p.m., and as you can see, we are all here. I think it would be helpful to just hear a fuller explanation about the cause and also where we are in the process," James said.

The city attorney told the board that "we were expecting outside counsel to be here, and they are unable to," and that staff will work to reschedule the hearing and consider a special meeting if schedules permit. "Special meeting is certainly something we can look into," the city attorney said, noting scheduling depends on the availability of board members and the parties.

Board members acknowledged the public's frustration and pressed staff and counsel about whether the board could set a framework should unavailability by a party become a recurring problem. One board member warned a pattern of repeated unavailability could produce a cycle of continuances that denies parties timely hearings.

Tenants asked the board to consolidate related appeal hearings so the community can attend together. Maggie Pandy, of the East O'Keefe tenant association, requested that the three appeal hearings for 201, 245 and 301 East O'Keefe be scheduled on the same night to allow tenants to participate.

Chair Larson closed the public-hearing portion by reiterating the item will be continued and staff and counsel will work to set a new date. No deliberations or decisions on the underlying appeal were made at the June 10 meeting.