As rents increase, as a result of the county’s severe housing shortage, lower-income tenants are being forced into substandard housing. In her presentation, tenant’s rights attorney Edie Sussman, the featured speaker at the Windsor/North County Democratic Club meeting on September 28, will share her vast knowledge on this issue.
Ms. Sussman completed her undergraduate studies at Sonoma State before attending law school. She represented 36 former residents of the Bennett Valley Townhome apartments, primarily low income, Latino residents, who sued the owners in 2015 after complaints about mold and vermin infestation were not addressed. Ms. Sussman negotiated a record $2.7 million settlement on behalf of her clients. She commented after the award, “The lawsuit didn’t just help the clients. It helped the community. It reorganized Santa Rosa’s code enforcement and brought attention to the housing crisis in the county.”
The meeting, at the Windsor Round Table Pizza, 8499 Old Redwood Hwy, begins at 7 p.m. It is free and open to all. Pizza will be served.
— Barry Hirsch
