Start time 15:15
Attending:

Betsy
Maria Sol
Angeles
Robert
Carol
Helen and Raines can't attend

1. Checkins

2. Officer reports/ business

• Minutes of last meetings approval - secretary
  • David moved and Daveed seconded motion to approve meeting minutes from Jan. 12th
  • Unanimous approval
• Treasurer
  • Finances available via the website's dashboard - need to be logged in
• Co-convenors
  1. Speaker Meetings april and may

3. Current Campaign Updates and Announcements

• POOR Campaign - 3 speakers tomorrow at the policy meeting 12-1pm - contact Carol for link to join
  Gray Panthers general meeting - April 27th fourth Wednesday of every month
  Angeles speaker suggestion - talk about composting toilets and demystify sewage
• Private equity firms buying up housing developments (Betsy)
• Skylark, in Larkspur - housing full of seniors and people on fixed income
• 405 units in Skylark building in Marin
  Purchased by Prime Portfolio - John Atwood CEO, headquarters in SF
  bought for 300M, 660K per unit
  Immediately started raising rents
  Skylark leaders are getting a lot out of Gray Panthers support
• Oakland and Berkeley have had grassroots groups raising this issue - some local and state legislation is aimed at controlling through taxation
  Gray Panthers nationally are looking into equity funds
  Social Housing Coalition - East Bay DSA - state initiative to take properties off the market
  Statewide TOPA bill
• Coyote Bush Collective Garden (Angeles) - sold at county tax auction for 274K, new buyer Sanjay Khanna wants to make money and asked what we could offer for him to profit. We offered a potential tax break. He's talking to his CPA and will let us know
  Rental Assistance (Daveed)
• The state did not keep their word on the rental assistance - it was a rip-off, criminal
  • Daveed got only 5 months of rental assistance, and they lied to us
• We need to work with Tenants Together
  • City of Berkeley is more interested in building construction than accessibility
• Maria Sol
  • Distributing food almost every day
  • Still looking to be of value to the community - challenge of urban camping
  • Searching for gas money to get to the doctors and distribute food
  • 2nd St. in Berkeley - RVs have relocated there on a dirt road
  • Senior centers - have they been helpful? Maria Sol has not tried yet, her mobility is limited and her health is an issue as well - please reach out if you can help
• Hannah - LTSS for All
  • 3 programs
    • LTSS insurance program
    • Build Back Better
    • Time for 20 (HIH campaign) - rally yesterday, Carol, Robert, and Betsy were there
  • Call-in campaign continues - call early and often
  • https://secure.everyaction.com/pkRO-VqrX0iXNJ3t57HRXA2
• TOPA requests for endorsements (Betsy) - hearing in Sacramento is on April 19th (Betsy)
• Board Communications - what's working what's not in our communications with each other? 
  • David - searching for Gray Panthers emails

6. Set next Board meeting - ??

5pm Adjourn (Angeles left, stopped taking notes at 4:30pm)