Opinion: Turning crisis into opportunity: Why Berkeley needs TOPA now
Allowing tenants to buy their apartments when they come up for sale will help keep the diversity Berkeley prides itself on.
There’s an end in sight to this pandemic, but vaccinations and falling case rates won’t magically fix the exacerbated housing crisis that COVID-19 leaves in its wake – a crisis that was already displacing thousands in BIPOC communities from their East Bay homes. Bold action is overdue to ensure that marginalized renters across Berkeley have a more thriving future. With a new policy called the “Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act” (TOPA), we have an opportunity to go beyond pandemic relief and take concrete steps to preserve homes in our community.