Leah Simon-Weisberg currently serves as Vice Chair of the Berkeley Rent Board.  Leah is an expert and statewide leader on rent control, landlord-tenant law, and housing policy. She is presently the Directing Attorney of the Shelter Clients Advocates Program at Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC). She consults for the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). This past winter she represented Moms 4 Housing in court, fighting for their right to live in an empty corporate-owned home on the grounds that Housing is a Human Right. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped close the Alameda and San Francisco courts, organized elected officials to pass eviction moratoria, including a permanent ban on the eviction of tenants for the inability to pay rent accrued during the pandemic.  

Until September 2019, Leah was the Directing Attorney of the Tenant Rights Practice at Centro Legal de la Raza where she managed a staff of 21 and oversaw the anti-displacement programs for the County of Alameda and City of Oakland.  She wrote and directed policy initiatives which led to historic increases in rent control and just cause for eviction protections across Alameda County.

Before returning to direct services at Centro Legal de la Raza, Leah was a founding board member of Tenants Together (“TT”), eventually becoming the Legal Director. At TT, she managed the litigation practice which included class action and multi-plaintiff fair housing, habitability, tenant contract and consumer rights matters. She regularly provided technical assistance on rent control and tenant rights in response to foreclosure and was the author of the ordinance that passed in Richmond, California in November 2016. 

Leah began her housing legal career at the Eviction Defense Network (“EDN”) in Los Angeles, California eventually becoming Executive Director. At EDN, Leah litigated over 1,000 unlawful detainer cases on behalf of tenants facing eviction in Los Angeles County.  She worked with Union de Vecinos in Los Angeles to successfully obtain Just Cause for Eviction Protections in Maywood, California. She developed, in partnership with ACORN and eventually ACCE LA, a legal/organizing strategy that defended entire buildings from displacement. 

Before attending law school at Northeastern University, School of Law, Leah worked for Senator Barbara Boxer in her San Francisco Office and served as a Peace Corp Volunteer in Morocco.  She graduated from Earlham College and majored in Peace and Global Studies.  She speaks Spanish, Moroccan Arabic and French.  She was proud to represent California as a delegate to the 2020 Democratic Convention. She lives with her husband and daughter. Her daughter is currently attending Berkeley’s Willard Middle School and after attending Malcolm X Elementary School.

I have a proven track record of building coalitions and working across differences. In a city whose politics can often prove divisive, I have the distinction of being endorsed by Mayor Jesse Arreguín, Former Vice Mayor Linda Maio, all 8 City Councilmembers, the entire School Board, and 12 current and former Rent Board Commissioners. I love our city and have spent the past decade working to make it a better, more affordable place to live. I don’t have any financial interest to profit off at the Rent Board — I’m running to be a strong voice for working families, to fight for fairness, and to increase access and accountability.

I’m honored to be nominated by the Berkeley Tenants Convention — a diverse coalition of over 1,000 tenants, landlords, and homeowners — to be an advocate for Berkeley’s most vulnerable residents. My top 3 priorities are: improve outreach, increase accessibility, and support affordable housing and programs to keep struggling residents housed. I’m endorsed by the Sierra Club, Democratic and Green Party, Alameda Labor Council, Berkeley Firefighters, Berkeley Tenants Union, Berkeley, Wellstone, and Stonewall Democratic Clubs, BCA, BPA, East Bay DSA, Friends of Adeline, SEIU 1021 and Cal Berkeley Democrats.

I hold a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, an MFA from The School of Visual Arts, and a certificate in Arts and Non-profit Management from NYU.  

Why I’m Running….

I was motivated to run when I discovered at my husband's memorial service that I would be unable to return to my Berkeley home without paying the tenant a fee of $20,000. We had decided to temporarily leave Berkeley for my husband’s teaching opportunity and to rent out our home. When the lease was signed, there was no law requiring me to pay thousands of dollars to regain possession of my home when the lease expired. Had I known this, we might have made a different choice than to rent out our house. Instead of being able to take the time to grieve the unexpected loss of my husband, and return to my home at the end of the previously agreed upon lease, I was thrust into trying to regain possession of the one place I really needed to be, my Berkeley home.

I am passionate about being part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis. I believe my voice will be an asset to the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board. As a former tenant, one-time landlord, and current homeowner, I bring a broad and deep understanding of the issues plaguing our city from a housing perspective. I believe in fair and balanced policy making, while simultaneously devising creative, cost-effective solutions to problems. I have done this during my entire university career and I plan to bring those skills to bear on behalf of the residents of our unique and amazing city. The Rent Board needs greater accountability, transparency and most importantly, needs to foster greater trust to the citizens it serves, and if elected, I intend to make these my priorities from day one!

If Elected...

I would respect the rights of tenants, while also encouraging homeowners to offer their homes and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) for rent in order to help increase the supply of rental housing. This economic opportunity would help the elderly and those on fixed incomes to age in place, while expanding the inventory of rental units in the city. I would help facilitate this process for the good of all. Secondly, I want to be the voice for the mom and pop/individual landlords, that are being squeezed out of business by policy that discourages them from doing business here. I don’t want to see corporate interests with deep pockets taking over the housing market, because individual landlords have been forced out of Berkeley.

What's Important to Know

I am a proud homeowner, former rental housing provider and former tenant. I understand the need for more affordable housing and will strive to foster a better sense of trust between homeowners and the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board so that there are more options for renters, not fewer.