Letter to Code Enforcement About Cockroach Infestation

Tenant Union Tasks
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This thread covers the primary actions involving our Tenant Union.

If you have questions about any of these action items, please schedule a quick zoom meeting with a member of the Steering Committee here. We were elected to help Members achieve the goals they voted for, so please don’t hesitate to book a meeting!

Task Assignments

Please add your name in the table by clicking on the :pencil2: emoji on the top right of the table when you hover over the table.

Task Assigned To In Progress Complete Reviewed by OP
Contact Stockton Code Enforcement @turcotte
Review Draft Letter to Code Enforcement @Bozzii
Develop One-Page Explainer @Englishpete08 @chima
One-Page Explainer Design @chima
Prepare Letter Toolkit @chima
Printable Map @HipGnosis
Petition Sheet @chima
Scheduling Canvassing/Phone Banking Days @chima
Database for WCUTU @Turcotte
Text Messages @PeterKraljev

Task Details

Canvassing/Phone Banking Days

Contact Stockton Code Enforcement

  • Ask Code Enforcement if the tenants need to give the Cal-Villa HOA a notice about the cockroach issue before contacting them or if it is enough for them to have notified their landlords months to years ago.
    – They have been responsive over the phone in the past: (209) 937-8813

Review the Review Draft Letter to Code Enforcement

  • Edit and finalize the draft letter intended for Cal-Villa tenants to sign and send to Stockton Code Enforcement. Once signature collection begins, it will not be appropriate to make heavy edits. @Bozzii

Develop One-Page Explainer for Code Enforcement Inquiry

  • Create a document for Cal-Villa tenants outlining the roles of tenants, landlords, single-unit owners, and the HOA.
  • Clarify the rationale for requesting a Code Enforcement investigation into the HOA, noting its responsibility for common areas and lack of responsiveness.
  • Provide an overview of WCUTU and the Cal-Villa Tenant Association.
  • Emphasize the importance of collective action.
  • Include a link to an online form for adding names & collecting survey responses and a link to the Letter Toolkit.

Prepare Letter Toolkit

  • Create a paper signup sheet to gather names, addresses, signatures, and dates, with a brief explanation of the purpose at the top. -@chima
  • Develop an online signup form allowing tenants sign on to the letter and to upload evidence of infestations and communications with landlords. @chima will work on form on.
    – A short paragraph to go on top of the form that summaries the reason for the petition - @HipGnosis
  • Produce a printable map to identify units that have not yet been contacted. Should have 4 unit numbers on each building, have the address be very visible. The plan is to hand these to folks who say they will knock on their neighbors doors so they can track which doors they are responsible for. - @HipGnosis
  • Recruit tenants to discuss the letter campaign with neighbors and friends, using maps to avoid overlapping efforts.

Text Messages

  • Create a text message asking people to sign the Cockroach petition (Google Doc)
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I’ve written out a rationale for the one-page explainer, if anyone wants to look that over today. I just wrote down what I knew about the situation in the simplest way, highlighting as to why it’s the HOA’s responsibility and not the tenants’ to deal with the cockroaches.

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Looks great! I just added a paragraph at the end connecting HOA fees and rents back to the maintenance like we had talked about. Let me know if you get a chance to look over the WCU/Oakland part.

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Just called code enforcement. According to them the entire parcel would be flagged if they had a prior report on file and we would need as many individual property numbers as possible so the code enforcer can check them all.

They said it would take up to 10 business days to get this all addressed.

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So should we just submit one ahead of time or wait until we have as many signatures as we can get?

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My understanding is that we would need to get as many signatures and unit numbers affected as we can and inform code enforcement. This would trigger the “warning” for the parcel and if they don’t fix the problem it would escalate from there.

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Awesome to hear!

Here is a link to the first draft of the petition. I think we should always put the signatures on the back of the letter so there is no question of whether people were signing onto our letter or something else.

Letter + Signatures for Severe Cockroach Infestation at CalVilla Townhomes PDF

Preview:

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Text Message drafts

1.Working Class Unity here, with the help of your tenant’s union we are almost at enough signatures to call out code enforcement about the cockroach problem. Hopefully it won’t come to that and this petition will be enough to scare the land lords into doing their job. Sign your name here:

2.Working Class Unity here, with the help of your tenant’s union we have been conducting a survey asking tenants on whether or not management has been using our rent money to maintain a habitable living space as many tenants have come forth and to say management has not been upholding their end of the deal. We need you to take the survey and add your name so we can either get management to do their job or take it up with code enforcement. Add your name here:

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