Big landlord to pay big fine + Medical board president says she was harassed + Whitman to Kenya
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
AG GOES AFTER A FIRM INVOLVED WITH ‘MOMS 4 HOUSING’
Via Jeong Park...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Wednesday announced a $3.5 million judgment against Wedgewood for unlawfully evicting hundreds of tenants from properties the firm bought at foreclosure sales.
The Los Angeles-based company drew headlines for evicting four homeless mothers out of a vacant house in Oakland in 2020. The firm has bought hundreds of homes across the state over the last few years, flipping many of them for significant profits.
“We will be flipping Wedgewood’s business on its head, making sure the tenants in its properties are afforded full protection under the law,” Bonta said at a press conference Wednesday.
In a press release, Bonta’s office said the company enlisted various unlawful tactics to move tenants out of their homes so it can flip the properties. Tenants were deprived of their right to live on the property under a pre existing lease or for at least 90 days after foreclosure as provided under state and federal law, and some were evicted without just cause even in areas where it isn’t allowed to do so, Bonta said.
The company has also deprived tenants of utility service such as water and electricity to persuade them to move, Bonta said.
“Many tenants, believing that they were entitled to 90 days or more to vacate after Wedgewood took ownership of their residence, felt blindslided when the company moved forward so quickly with an eviction and felt extreme pressure to move out,” Bonta’s office said in its complaint against Wedgewood.
Under the judgment, Wedgwood must pay $2.75 million in restitution for unlawfully evicted tenants, as well as $250,000 in civil penalties and $500,000 to support programs that benefit tenants or help combat homelessness.
The firm is also required to train employees of tenants’ rights and provide written notice prior to evicting tenants. The company is also obligated to determine whether any of its property is in a jurisdiction where evictions can only be done with a just cause, according to the judgment.
The company, under the judgment, is denying all allegations and not admitting any liability. “Ultimately, Wedgewood made the business decision to reach a settlement and move forward with our ongoing commitment to revitalize and recirculate residential properties back into California’s housing supply, creating thousands of homeownership opportunities across the state,” the company said in a statement.
The judgment, agreed to by the firm and the state, is still subject to court approval.
MEDICAL BOARD PRESIDENT DETAILS RECENT HARASSMENT
Kristina Lawson, president of the California Medical Board, took to Twitter to discuss a hostile encounter she had with some anti-vaccine activists.
In a Twitter thread, Lawson discussed how anti-vaccine activists parked a rental SUV near the end of her driveway in Walnut Creek, flew a drone over her house and watched as she and her children left for school and then work.
Then, that evening as she was heading to her vehicle in a parking garage, she was confronted by several of the activists, who were carrying cameras.
“When contacted by law enforcement, the group indicated that it just wanted to interview me. Not surprisingly, they never contacted the Board’s press office to request an interview. They also never contacted the company I work for or me directly to ask for an interview,” Lawson wrote. “Instead, they ambushed me in a dark parking garage when they suspected I would be alone. The private investigator traveling with them told law enforcement they are producing a video about me that will include footage of my house and neighborhood, and, of course, me.”
Several lawmakers condemned what happened to Lawson after she shared her story on Twitter.
“Important to amplify this terrible experience for @kdlaw and also to say thank you to her and others for their commitment to public service. We must not be intimidated by these extremists groups,” said Sen. Steven Glazer in a tweet.
Assemblywoman Laura Friendman said in a tweet that “We need laws to protect elected officials and public servants from this kind of harassment. It’s one thing to want to interview someone, it’s another thing to terrify a woman in a parking garage and use a camera as an excuse.”
“Stop stalking & harassing & threatening & generally trying to intimidate unelected, volunteer, public servants. Stories like this make me sick,” Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez wrote in a tweet.
BIDEN NAMES MEG WHITMAN AMBASSADOR TO KENYA
Former Hewlet Packard and Quibi CEO Meg Whitman could soon have a new gig: Ambassador to Kenya.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday named Whitman to the post; Whitman must still be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Whitman, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully against Jerry Brown in the 2010 gubernatorial election, shunned President Donald Trump by first endorsing Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and then Biden in 2020.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Some good news to start your morning: It looks like the storm door is opening. Predictions are pretty damn good for a wet and snowy couple of weeks ahead for Northern California.We desperately need the rain and snow. Keep fingers crossed.”
- Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
After months of complaints from firefighter inmates and their families that their sentences were arbitrarily being increased under new good-conduct credit rules, California prison officials said Wednesday they are correcting the problem, via Sam Stanton.
Every formal allegation an inmate files against a California state prison employee would be reviewed at the prison system’s headquarters under a new proposal from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, via Wes Venteicher.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is likely to mean a slower than anticipated economic recovery in California, as the state’s unemployment rate remains stubbornly high this winter, a new UCLA Anderson forecast predicted Wednesday, via David Lightman.