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OAKLAND, Calif. — On July 10, the Superior Court of Alameda County entered an order reflecting an agreement between the City of Oakland and the People of the State of California, represented by Oakland City Attorney Ryan Richardson, and Dodg Corp., SBMANN, LLC alongside owners Baljit and Surinder Mann. The agreement extends court and City oversight over all of Dodg’s residential properties in Oakland through September 2029.
The City Attorney’s 2019 lawsuit alleged that Dodg Corp., whose owners lead a prominent local real estate and taxi enterprise with more than 150 Oakland properties, systematically violated tenants’ rights at buildings owned by their family companies. Many affected tenants were low-income immigrants with limited English proficiency.
In 2021, the trial court found Defendants engaged in prohibited tenant harassment under Oakland’s Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) and created a public nuisance at six Oakland properties. The trial court cited extensive health and safety violations, including lack of hot water, heat, and emergency egress, in addition to serious building, fire, and maintenance code issues such as cockroaches in electrical panels, exposed wiring, and combustible materials in units. The trial court entered a permanent injunction against the Defendants’ misconduct through fall 2026. The Defendants appealed, but the City Attorney’s Office successfully defended the permanent injunction on appeal.
Recently, the City Attorney’s Office uncovered evidence of ongoing violations at Dodg Corp. properties, including unresolved severe fire damage, nonfunctioning heaters, cockroach infestations, and black mold, sometimes persisting for years. The City Attorney filed a contempt motion in February to enforce the permanent injunction. To avoid a contempt finding, Defendants agreed to extend City and court oversight three years through 2029.
“Despite several definitive losses in court, Dodg Corp. and its owners and associates have continued to violate legal orders to bring their properties up to code and meet the most basic health and safety conditions for their tenants,” said City Attorney Ryan Richardson. “This agreement ensures the City of Oakland and the court will continue active oversight for three additional years under the terms of the legal victory we secured in 2021.”
The Oakland City Attorney’s Office formed the Neighborhood Law Corps and Housing Justice Initiative to address the most challenging problems facing Oakland’s neighborhoods through filing civil lawsuits and pursuing other enforcement actions. The team’s ongoing vigilance ensures that court orders intended to protect tenants are meaningful and that landlords comply with State laws and City ordinances.
“Predatory landlords in Oakland should take notice,” added City Attorney Richardson. “The City of Oakland takes tenant protection seriously, and my office is willing and ready to hold them accountable.” Oakland residents with concerns about poor housing conditions and harassment, including tenants at properties owned or managed by Dodg Corp., SBMANN, LLC, or Baljit and Surinder Mann experiencing habitability violations, poor conditions, or tenant harassment, should contact the Neighborhood Law Corps at LawCorps@oaklandcityattorney.org or (510) 238-6628. When reaching out, include your name and preferred contact information, property address, unit number (if applicable), a brief description of the issues, relevant dates/timeframes, and any documentation (photos, notices, or correspondence).
