BayLegal Urges the Oakland City Council to Request That the Court Stop Eviction Proceedings for at Least Two Weeks

Bay Area Legal Aid will testify this morning before the Oakland City Council, with partner organizations including the Eviction Defense Collaborative, East Bay Community Law Center, and Centro Legal de la Raza. We stand together to urge that Council request of the court a 2-week stop on eviction proceedings in Oakland, as part of the necessary public health response to the COVID-19 emergency. Our joint statement in support of the proposed resolution reads:

In light of the growing public health concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19 throughout our community, we are requesting that Alameda County Superior Court take immediate action.  Eviction courts have anywhere from 50-150 people crammed into hallways on a weekly basis, which poses serious public health concerns related to the spread of this virus.  We ask that the Alameda Court take 3 steps to protect our community: (1) stop all filings of new evictions for 2 weeks, (2) continue all scheduled eviction court appearances for 2 weeks, and (3) delay setting any new court hearings for 2 weeks.