From: [email protected]
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on RUBS policy
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2026 7:37:41 PM
RE: Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS)
Dear Councilmember,
I am a renter who may be adversely affected by a RUBS, because the current landlord has a well-known history of taking advantage of renters on it’s properties in three other cities (San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles).
I urge the city council to ban the use of the Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS) because it is likely to lead to abuse by landlords based on what they claim they need in order to achieve “fair market value” or merely with the intent of pushing out tentants. RUBS “estimates rather than measuring” utility use - which overall is more concrete, transparent and fair to renters.
Landlords who are already use a Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS) must be made to provide written information to prospective tenants, including details about the billing method, average monthly utility costs, and the right to inspect billing records. Additionally, if the required information is not provided, any lease provision requiring tenants to pay these utility charges becomes unenforceable.
Please ban further expansion of Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS) because it is unfair and not transparent and it will disproportionately hurt Alameda renters on fixed incomes.
Sincerely,
Diana C
From: laura
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 5K: Please vote Yes on Ratio Utility Billing ban Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2026 2:46:02 PM
To our esteemed Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers,
I work full time in development for the California Center for Movement Legal Services and I was an active steering committee member of Alameda Renters Coalition. I’m in my 50s, and as a 14-year Alameda renter who has not been able to buy a home, I’m permanently housing insecure. The property I live on has been on the market for much of my tenancy, and the new landlords have told me they plan to evict me. If they are successful, I don’t know if I will be able to afford to stay in Alameda.
I appreciate the points that were made on June 16 by the Mayor and Vice Mayor that housing insecurity is a very real and continuing issue in our city. This is mostly invisible to middle income residents.
I have separate utility meters, so I’m not currently affected by the full ratio utility billing ban, but I support it and ask you to finalize the change.
My one frustration is that in this town, in order to pass a proposal that could prevent constructive eviction of tenants, we always seem to compromise with landlord interests, as though the playing field is even.
Just like RUBS, having a capital improvement plan option at all is a rent control workaround. The one-time rent increase allowance for landlords who will lose ratio utility billing is compensation enough. I don’t see why tenants should have to pay for conversion to separate meters in any size property, but especially in the largest corporate owned properties.
Being on a small property, I could receive an unfair CIP pass-through for the full cost of other types of building improvements. So I support passage of this RUBS ban while also asking the city to make our rent stabilization ordinance whole by passing a full ban on capital improvement plans as soon as possible. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Laura Woodard