Appointed Rent Board

**COVID-19 Related Service Update** All hearings and board meetings are being held remotely via Zoom. Parties will receive notice of a new hearing date in the mail.

The Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board (HRRRB) currently has vacancies. To see which positions are vacant, click here to view the current HRRRB roster. To submit an application, please click here.

The Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board enforces the Rent Adjustment Ordinance that is set out by the Oakland City Council and fosters fair housing for a diverse population of renters. The board also hears appeals from decisions by Rent Adjustment Program hearing officers and develops and amends regulations for the Rent Adjustment Program. The Board may also make recommendations to the City Council or appropriate City Council committee pertaining to the residential rent, eviction or other City housing policy when requested to do so by the City Council or when the Board otherwise acts to do so.

The Board consist of seven (7) regular members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council: two (2) residential rental property owners, two (2) tenants, and three (3) persons who are neither tenants nor residential rental property owners (undesignated representatives). The Board also has six (6) alternate members: two (2) residential rental property owners, two (2) tenants and two (2) persons who are neither a tenants nor residential rental property owners. Alternates may act at Board meetings in the absence of a regular Board member of the same category, and at appeal panels meetings without such an absence

All board members serve three-year staggered terms and can serve no more than two consecutive terms. The Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board meets regularly once every two weeks on Thursday at 5:00 p.m via Zoom. The zoom link will be posted on the meeting’s agenda. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the board met in Hearing Room #2 at the Oakland City Hall.

If interested, apply at: https://www.staging.oaklandca.gov/boards-commissions

The Rent Adjustment Program Ordinance can be found at this link: https://www.staging.oaklandca.gov/resources/read-the-oakland-rent-adjustment-program-ordinance

Undesignated Representatives

Denard Ingram

Denard Ingram Photo

As Chair of the HRRR Board, Denard works with his fellow Board members and RAP staff to continue expanding our outreach; to ensure that enforcement of the Board’s duties authorized in OMC 8.22, including the Rent Adjustment Ordinance, is fair for both tenants and property owners; and to advise City Council on rent protections and housing policies that are centered in equity. Chair Ingram encourages ALL Oakland residents to attend our meetings, and voice their concerns regarding the City’s Rent Ordinance, and Housing laws.

Denard received his B.A. in Psychology from Rollins College, and his M.A. in Child & Adolescent Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology; both of which he has utilized for over a decade of public service. As an Oakland resident, and Social Worker for the City and County of San Francisco, he knows how vital significant investments into housing are to many Californians. Working with individuals that are 65 and older, blind, and/or disabled, he sees first-hand the harmful impact of housing insecurity. This is further supplemented by Denard’s own experience with housing insecurity in his childhood and adult lives.

Denard is passionate about advocating for his tribes and manifests this through work as a member of the East Bay Young Democrats; the Black, LGBT, and Disability caucuses of the California Democratic Party; and volunteering with The Trevor Project. As part of his own mental health journey, Denard promotes the importance of physical, mental, and emotional self-care. He manages his work-life balance by reading, watching anime, adding to his vinyl collection, and making craft cocktails for friends. He also enjoys being surrounded by nature; one day he hopes to have a sunflower garden of his own.

Charles Oshinuga

Unknown

Undesignated Representative

Evelyn Torres

Evelyn Torres Photo

Evelyn Torres is a Political Strategist raised in the Bay Area and is a first-generation immigrant from Lima, Peru. She holds a B.A. in Latino/a Studies from San Francisco State University, emphasizing public policy and politics in Latinx communities. With a deep commitment to public service, Evelyn has focused her career on community organizing, political campaigns, fundraising, and public policy for nonprofits and government entities in the Bay Area, state, and federal levels.

Evelyn is also actively involved in local groups. She was a founding member of the New Leaders Council Oakland and has served as Mentorship Chair and Recruitment Chair; as well as being involved in our democratic process as the Founding President of the Latino Young Democrats of the East Bay and the former California Region 1 Vice-Chair of the Chicano/Latino Caucus. She is currently a Commissioner for the City of Oakland's Rend Board and the Advisory Commission of Parks and Recreation

Landlord Representatives

Terrence Williams

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Landlord Representative

Kathleen Sims (Alternate)

Kathleen Sims Photo

Landlord Representative (Alternate)

Tenant Representatives

Rodney Nickens Jr.

Rodney Nickens Headshot

Rodney K. Nickens Jr. is the Program Officer for Policy and Innovation at the San Francisco Foundation, one of the nation’s largest community foundations — a grantmaking public charity dedicated to mobilizing resources and acting as a catalyst for change to build strong communities, foster civic leadership, and promote philanthropy in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Nickens is also the Founder of R&N Strategies, LLC and is the Tenant Representative on the Oakland Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board.

John deBoer (Alternate)

John deBoer Headshot. Photo by Kathe Hashimoto.

John deBoer is a tailor and artist who has been an Oakland resident since 2014. Born in Middletown, Connecticut, he graduated from Bard College and has lived in New York City, Chicago, rural Indiana, and Tokyo before coming to Oakland, and has always been a tenant. For several years he has been active in the Oakland Tenants Union, where he served as chair of the Education and Counselling Committee, helping tenants understand their rights and helping them find resources to advocate for themselves.

Merika Reagan (Alternate)

Unknown

Tenant Representative (Alternate)

About

ABOUT THE RENT ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM

The Oakland City Council adopted the Rent Adjustment Program Ordinance (OMC Chapter 8.22) in 1980. This ordinance sets the maximum annual rent increase based on the annual CPI increase and handles rent adjustments for claims of decreases in housing services and handles other rent-related matters. The purpose of this program is to foster fair housing for a diverse population of renters and enforce the Rent Adjustment Ordinance set out by the City of Oakland.

Contact Us

Address

Map image for Appointed Rent Board, located at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, CA 94612
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Suite 5313
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone Numbers

Business Hours

The Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board meets on Thursdays at 5:00 pm via Zoom. Full Board meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month.