Complaint alleges unlawful tactics used to force out and harass longtime tenants
The Alameda City Attorney’s Office, together with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, has filed an enforcement action against Valley Investments-Redwoods LLC (“Valley”) and its manager Amarpal Narang.
Valley owns the Barnhill Marina and Boatyard in Alameda, a floating home marina with 56 berths. Barnhill’s residents, many of whom are over 65 with low income, pay monthly rents to Valley and are tenants under State and local laws.
The complaint alleges that since purchasing Barnhill Marina in December 2021, Valley has used unlawful tactics to force out and harass longtime tenants. These tactics include drastically raising rents, interfering with the residents’ right to sell their houseboats, and trying to strong arm tenants into unlawful rent increases.
According to the complaint, Valley also continues to ignore the City’s Rent Control laws as well as multiple citations issued by the City of Alameda.
The enforcement action against Valley and Narang alleges:
- Unfair and unlawful practices in violation of the California Unfair Competition Law.
- Maintaining a public nuisance.
- Violating local laws that protect tenants, including retaliation, coercing tenants to waive their rights, failing to register rent-controlled units, and failing to pay required fees.
“Valley’s egregious activities and willful non-compliance left the City no choice but to take legal action to protect the housing security of the over fifty tenant families at Barnhill,” said City Attorney Yibin Shen. “The City Attorney’s Office is committed to enforcing all applicable housing laws and ensuring that victims from all income levels and backgrounds can feel safe and secure in their homes and receive equal justice under the law. Additionally, we thank the District Attorney’s Office in partnering with us to undertake this important enforcement action.”
Both State and City law protect tenants against unlawful harassment by landlords and their agents, the City stated, noting that management may not, in bad faith, influence or attempt to influence a tenant to vacate a rental housing unit through fraud, intimidation, or coercion; or interfere with a tenant’s right to quiet use and enjoyment of a rental housing unit.
The City Attorney’s Office encourages any tenant experiencing similar or related violations to contact the Rent Program at 510-747-7520.
Check back with the Alameda Post for additional coverage as this story develops.
