One of Berkeley's legion of 'progressive activists,' a leader in the fight to pass the city's draconian rent control law, has just been ordered to pay over 100 thousand dollars to his former tenants, thanks to the very law he championed. Michael Berkowitz, an aide to an ultra—leftist Berkeley City Council member (who somehow manages to find the time to simultaneously pull down a second salary as chief of information services and neighborhood planning for the City of San Francisco) is the latest leftist to be hoisted on his own petard.

The city's normally pro—tenant Rent Stabilization Board found that Berkowitz had willfully misrepresented his residency status at his 2820 Derby St. property to skirt rent control. As a result, a total award of $112,382.40 will be held in escrow while all of the former tenants are located.

Berkowitz insists that he made a mistake, and that he was 'bouncing around' during the period he claimed to be living in the building, thereby exempting it from rent control. He is appealing the decision to the courts.

The American Thinker thinks that the tenants who willingly paid the rent Berkowitz demanded have already received what they voluntarily paid for. Rent control interferes with the ability of both landlords and tenants to do business freely, and causes shortages of housing and deterioration of buildings wherever it is tried.

But if anyone is going to be dinged for charging more than the law allows, we are delighted that a 'progressive advocate of rent control' is one getting screwed for a big chunk of change. We suppose that Mr. Berkowitz will have to find a third or fourth job on the public payroll to make up for the six figure judgment while maintaining a Prius—driving, organic food—eating suitably Berkeley lifestyle. We wish him luck.

Posted by Thomas  02 27 04