The City of Oakland, California, is escalating its fight with a major landlord after elderly and disabled residents at an affordable apartment building were left without working elevators for 52 consecutive days in the summer of 2025.
At the La Peralta apartment building, tenants said the problem posed real danger rather than mere inconvenience. Residents explained that losing elevator access effectively left some people stranded inside their homes.
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The lawsuit marks the first time Oakland's city attorney has tried to enforce a 2024 ordinance requiring landlords to notify tenants and provide accommodations when an elevator outage lasts longer than 24 hours, per KTVU.
In this lawsuit, the city is targeting Mosser Companies over conditions at La Peralta, a six-story affordable apartment building with roughly 100 units.
The outlet also reported that firefighters had been called to the building a whopping 75 times for various incidents since the start of 2025, including more than a dozen rescues involving residents trapped in broken elevators. The suit said both elevators were out of service for 52 consecutive days that year.
Tenant April Dawn told KTVU, "I had a bad knee at the time and I couldn't [leave] — I was housebound."
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Meanwhile, resident Kathy Vaquilar, one of seven tenants suing the landlord, described the stakes to KTVU as "a life and death issue really, and I think it's about time."
More background
The 2024 ordinance in question is meant to ensure that landlords do more than post a notice during long elevator outages, also providing accommodations. In this case, it's alleged that Mosser Companies did not comply.
Residents also said the elevator breakdowns were part of a pattern at the property. They have reported ongoing disrepair, pest problems, and other safety concerns, saying their complaints were ignored for months.
KTVU reported that the city is now seeking restitution for tenants and a court order requiring the property to comply with local law.
For renters dealing with prolonged outages or other unsafe conditions, documenting problems in writing and making formal requests for accommodations can help create a record and hold greedy rental corporations accountable.
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