Featured - page 136

In honor of Earth Day, the County Office of Sustainability and City of Redwood City is hosting a free showing of the film, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.”

The movie will be shown at Century 20 Theater in downtown Redwood City at 825 Middlefield Rd on April 18. Attendees are asked to check in beginning at 5:30 p.m. for the movie that will begin at 6:15 p.m.

The film follows former Vice President Al Gore as he continues his fight for international climate policy.

For more information, visit here.

Photo courtesy of Al Gore’s Facebook. 

On April 3, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Menlo Park) will host a social security town hall meeting with Rep. John Larson (D-Hartford) of Connecticut during which they will present their legislation, Social Security 2100 Act.

The bill, introduced last year by Larson and co-sponsored by 156 lawmakers, would increase Social Security benefits and cut taxes for seniors, among other actions, which supporters say will ensure Social Security’s long-term solvency.

The meeting is scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Senior Center at 1455 Madison Ave. in Redwood City.

Reservations are required and can be made here or by calling 650-323-2984.

Art Garfunkel is scheduled to perform at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City on April 19 as part of his “In Close-Up 2018” tour.

The six-time Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will present an evening of melodies and poetic storytelling at 2215 Broadway St. in Redwood City. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $42 to $97. To purchase to tickets please visit here.

Interested in a government job? The Redwood City Public Library is hosting a panel on Tuesday, April 10 to discuss government careers.

The event will take place at the Redwood City Downtown Library at 1044 Middlefield Rd from 10 a.m. to noon.

Opportunities, the human relations process and tips for being competitive are among the topics that will be discussed.

The event is free, but register for the event here.

Celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on April 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Redwood City Library, 1044 Middlefield Road.

Nowruz is celebrated during the Spring Equinox and traditionally involves gifts that represent beauty, good health, patience, spring, fertility, rebirth, and prosperity.

The event will include music, dancing, and arts and crafts.

For more information, visit here.

The Redwood City Council voted unanimously to pass two ordinances Monday aiming to provide protections for renters in an increasingly costly housing market, including one that requires landlords owning rental properties with more than three units to offer a minimum 1-year lease term to tenants.

A second ordinance requires landlords to provide relocation assistance to eligible displaced tenants that includes the cash equivalent of three month’s rent, the security deposit, and a 60-day subscription to a rental agency service.

Revised after city staff discussions with the California Realtors Association and San Mateo County Association of Realtors, the two ordinances passed council despite mixed reviews by dozens of community members who spoke during public comment both in favor and against.

Effective Jan. 1, 2019, the ordinances were implemented to respond to increasing rents both in Redwood City and on the Peninsula, according to city staff.

The minimum 1-year lease term rule applies to properties with three or more units. Landlords must offer a minimum 1-year lease term to tenants as of Jan. 1, 2019. The ordinance prohibits rent increases during that lease term, but provides leeway for a renter and landlord to agree in writing upon a term of less than one year.

The relocation assistance ordinance applies only to properties with five units. The new law requires landlords wanting to evict tenants before the 12 month lease is up to provide renter money equal to three months rent, except in cases such as when renters fail to pay rent.

Landlords also won’t have to pay relocation fees when the lease agreement ends.

Certain tenants called “special circumstance households” will receive the cash equivalent of four month’s rent rather than three in cases of displacement.

Complaints by opponents of the new rules described the ordinances as confusing, convoluted and a detrimental invasion of the relationship between landlords and renters.

Some argued they push the city closer to a rent control requiring a costly, bureaucratic rent board – a position denied by several elected officials.

“We are not going down the road of a rent control board,” Mayor Ian Bain said.

The ordinances will be revisited a year after they are enacted in order to review whether they’ve had any unintended consequences.