a memorandum from Mayor Marc McGovern, transmitting a communication regarding the Announcement of the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR mayor@cambridgema.gov Marc C. McGovern Phone: [phone removed] Mayor Fax: [phone removed] To: Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk From: Marc C. McGovern, Mayor Date: December 13, 2018 Subject: Communicating Letter From Offices of Mayor McGovern and Councillor Siddiqui Regarding the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement Madame Clerk: Please include the attached letter “Announcing Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement” in Communications and Reports from City Officers of the Regular City Council Agenda for December 17, 2018. Thanks,

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Marc C. McGovern mayor@cambridgema.gov [phone removed] OFFICE OF COUNCILLOR Sumbul Siddiqui ssiddiqui@cambridgema.gov [phone removed] To: Cambridge City Council From: Offices of Mayor Marc C. McGovern and Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui Date: December 13, 2018 Subject: Announcing Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement To the Honorable, the City Council: Mayor Marc McGovern and I are pleased to announce the establishment of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement; its primary mission will be to provide policy guidance on how to prevent displacement in the Cambridge community. The task force will be charged with investigating the root causes of displacement—answering the question of where and why forced displacement is occurring—evaluating current policies, programs and practices, and developing bold alternatives where necessary, thereby addressing the imperative need for stronger, more immediate tenant protections. Its recommendations for policy change and resource allocation will provide critical guidance to the City Council and City Manager’s Office on mitigating the effects of housing instability on our City, and realizing the future of Cambridge as affordable, inclusive and desirable for all. We plan to enlist a diverse task force membership of neighborhood residents, property owners and managers, community leaders, and representatives from tenant advocacy groups, the affordable housing trust, and city staff, and to have these 10-15 members confirmed by early January 2019. It is our hope that this will serve as a platform for proactive discussion and an opportunity for strengthening community and building trust amongst this city’s residents. The average Cantabrigian sees a tenuous future here, with rents ever-increasing and homeownership seeming beyond reach. As noted in the Cambridge Development Department’s recent report on eviction data collection, there were “2,900 eviction complaints filed against 1,937 unique Cambridge tenants” from 2013 to 2017. It is difficult to track outcomes and analyze causation, as “complete data on outcomes is hard to assemble” and cause [for evictions] is “difficult to reliably determine...without a file review of the details of each case.” The City must work harder to understand the variety of factors contributing to the displacement of Cambridge families and individuals--the establishment of this task force represents a crucial step in moving from talk to action in 2019 and beyond. If the City of Cambridge cannot do more to fight displacement in its community, it risks sacrificing its very cultural fabric, historical vibrancy, and economic and demographic diversity. The continuation of Cambridge’s identity--as a place where families of all colors, shapes and sizes can put down roots, where entrepreneurship can flourish, and young people raised here can reasonably hope to return, as a sanctuary

city and safe haven for refugees, a city with a robust economy, nationally recognized for its policy innovations--is at stake. Signed, Marc C. McGovern Mayor of Cambridge Sumbul Siddiqui Cambridge City Council