Alameda County’s eviction court was crowded on a recent Wednesday. It usually is.
Tenants, family members, landlords and attorneys — about 100 people in all — waited long hours to appear before a judge at the Hayward Hall of Justice. Fifty-six people were slated to appear that day in a marathon of back-to-back sessions. Many of the renters were nervous.
“Desperate, scared, depressed, filled with anxiety, as you can see,” said Chris, 60, his hands shaking. A former software engineer who rents an apartment in Alameda, he asked not to use his last name, fearing it would further threaten his housing. In eviction court, state law requires that case files remain confidential until 60 days after judgments…