Activists Deserve Credit for Zephyr TurnaroundTommi Avicolli Meccabyline‚ Aug. 29‚ 2006It’s simply a matter of giving credit where it’s due. When Zephyr Realty made its announcement a couple weeks ago that it wasn’t going to deal with owners who use the state’s Ellis Act to evict protected (senior, disabled and terminally ill) tenants so that they can sell their units as tenancies in common (TICs), the firm received a lot of positive coverage. District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty introduced a resolution before the Board of Supervisors commending the realtor. It passed with no problem. What was lacking in the coverage was the fact that the real estate outfit probably wouldn’t have made that decision in the first place, if it weren’t for almost a decade of tenant activism: Years of picketing TIC showings and real estate companies, including Zephyr. Years of pushing legislation and ballot measures to try and curtail the use of Ellis. Years of tenant activists working hard to bring media attention to the evictions that were taking place. |