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2h ago

Oakland Sues Mosser Over Repeated Elevator Failures at La Peralta

The city invokes a 2024 elevator ordinance to force repairs, require temporary relocation for mobility-impaired residents, allow faster court review of repeat violations.

The Mosser Company-owned La Peralta apartment building can be seen on 13th Street in Oakland on Monday. The apartment building is at the center of a lawsuit where tenants are suing over an elevator broken over sustained periods.
Kathy Vaquilar sits for a portrait at La Peralta apartment building in Oakland on Monday. Vaquilar is one of several tenants named on the lawsuit suing Mosser Living over sustained elevators outages in the building.
Empty plastic covers show where elevator-related credentials are missing at La Peralta apartment building in Oakland on Monday. Kathy Vaquilar, pictured, is one of several tenants named on the lawsuit suing Mosser Living over sustained elevators outages in the building.
Attorney Phil Johnson stands for a portrait near an elevator at La Peralta apartment building in Oakland on Monday. Johnson is one of the attorneys helping Peralta tenants over a lawsuit against Mosser Living and a failure to fix sustained elevator outages.

Overview

  • The Oakland City Attorney filed a civil enforcement lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court on Wednesday, August 12, accusing Mosser Living of leaving a six-story, 98-unit building with long-running elevator outages and other safety faults.
  • Seven La Peralta tenants separately sued on July 7 seeking damages and statutory penalties under the 2024 ordinance that allows up to daily fines and rent repayment when elevators are out or relocations should have occurred.
  • Both elevators at La Peralta were out for 52 consecutive days in summer 2025, firefighters rescued trapped riders multiple times, and elderly and mobility-impaired residents said they were forced to climb several flights of stairs or be carried down during medical emergencies.
  • City filings allege a broader pattern of neglect, saying Mosser failed to fix fire, water and structural damage, lacked required permits and did not pay an elevator contractor that stopped working at the site.
  • The lawsuits seek tenant restitution, court-ordered repairs, possible city oversight of property management and enforcement of the new local law, a move that could set a precedent for holding landlords accountable for prolonged elevator outages in Oakland.