"Clearly, the community is in crisis," Antioch Mayor Don Freitas told the supervisors.
Some residents living in $900,000 homes have government-subsidized Section 8 recipients as neighbors, said Freitas. This has caused concern from some who feel taxpayers should not be underwriting rentals in exclusive neighborhoods, especially to those who don't keep up the property and cause other problems.
The County Housing Authority, which oversees Section 8 housing, uses rental rates in the Oakland-Fremont area to determine the amount of rent to allow and subsidize.
That practice was challenged by Antioch Councilman Brian Kalinowski, who told the supervisors he could find no rents in Antioch as high as the $2,600 the housing authority is subsidizing.
Representative Ellen Tauscher recently questioned this practice in a letter to Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, asking him to undertake a review of the practice "expeditiously."
"We want to get the facts out - see if there is any basis to the allegations that are being hurled about," said Supervisor Federal Glover in a press release.
Rudy Tamayo, executive director of the housing authority, presented a report to the supervisors on issues raised by Antioch residents, including the concern that some Section 8 residents are responsible for the increase in crime in Antioch in recent years.
Tamayo's report contained statistics on the crime increase, general population growth and the increase in Section 8 participants, concluding that "it is difficult to ascertain contributory impact of increased crime by the growth in population and households and the growth in the Section 8 program."
Antioch Councilman Jim Conley told the supervisors that the housing authority should be able to act promptly on information provided by the police department.
But Tamayo said it can take up to six months to terminate a Section 8 participant from the program if any member of the family commits a crime, such as drug dealing. The accused is first entitled to a hearing, at which police reports are entered into evidence.
Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier said that supporters of public housing, such as he, should make sure that laws and the regulations of the housing authority are enforced, but that it's also important to protect the due process rights of the accused.
Supervisor John Gioia agreed that enforcement is essential, but pointed out that the overwhelming number of Section 8 participants are decent, hard-working people.
Freitas and the other Antioch leaders stated that the problem of poorly maintained property can be traced to rental housing in general, not solely Section 8 housing. And it's been pointed out at City Council meetings that homeowners can also contribute to the problem.
The housing authority report addresses allegations that Section 8 complaints are racially motivated. The report notes an increase in Section 8 recipients "in all groups with the exception of the decrease in the Caucasian population." It concludes, "Although many complaints may not be racially motivated, the increased cultural diversity may lead to such an allegation."
"In Antioch, we don't care about race," said Conley.
"The racial angle cannot be swept under the rug," said Glover, adding that while speakers say race is not an issue, the communications he has received indicate otherwise.
Some of them were from Section 8 participants; many were from the general public and observers of the political scene. A few of them "could be interpreted as racist," said Ed Diokno, a policy analyst in Glover's office.
Allegations that some Section 8 participants are defrauding the public by having unauthorized persons living in the house or having hidden income have been made by some of the speakers at Antioch meetings. Tauscher's letter asks Jackson to provide funding "separate and apart from the funds they are using to maintain the housing programs" to detect and curtail fraud.
The possibility of fraud was one of the matters County Administrator John Cullen was instructed to report back on within 45 days, along with more information on the affordability of housing, including what geographical area should be used to determine rental rate subsidies, and what the housing authority considers a crime.
While Tamyo's report pointed out that the housing authority is not a party to the lease agreement between landlords and Section 8 tenants, it will point out to landlords their obligation to screen tenants and enforce the lease.
Other responsibilities of the housing authority include responding to complaints, partnering with community organizations to increase the program's effectiveness and dispelling stereotypes about Section 8 participants, the report states.
The housing authority plans to hold its own forum for residents to continue the discussion about the Section 8 program. It wasn't known at press time when that forum will be scheduled.
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