Randy Shaw is an attorney, author, and activist who lives in Berkeley, California. He is the executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, a nonprofit organization in San Francisco that he co-founded in 1980. He has also co-founded and is on the board of directors of Uptown Tenderloin, Inc., a nonprofit organization that spearheaded the creation of the national Uptown Tenderloin Historic District in 2009. Uptown Tenderloin, Inc. is also the driving force behind the Tenderloin Museum, which opened in the spring of 2015. Randy is also the editor of Beyond Chron, and has written six books on activism. Early activism Working on tenants-rights campaigns in Berkeley led to his helping open the Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC) in 1980. where Randy quickly became active in tenant rights, particularly the Tenderloin's struggles against luxury hotel development and the conversion of single-room occupancy hotels (SROs) for tourist use. Tenderloin Housing Clinic Upon graduation from Hastings, Randy was awarded a $12,000 grant from the Berkeley Law Foundation, becoming THC's first full-time staff attorney and executive director. THC currently leases and manages 23 SROs (over 1,800 units) for homeless single adults, and owns and manages the Galvin Apartments at 785 Brannan Street. "Heat-less" hotel scandal In 1982, the "heat-less hotel" scandal was exposed whereby thousands of San Francisco's SRO tenants were living without heat. The story was front-page news for a week, ultimately resulting in the emergency enactment of tough new heat and hot water laws, which he helped author. Protecting low-cost housing Shaw then went on to work with tenants on new police rules preventing illegal lockouts of tenants in lieu of legal evictions. In 1984, a campaign against Guenter Kaussen was launched. Kaussen was known as the "world's biggest slumlord". Overcharging rent to Cambodian immigrant tenants in the Tenderloin led media to investigating the West German-based real estate mogul. At the time, Guenter Kaussen was the Tenderloin's largest apartment owner; this led to a story on 60 Minutes CBS-TV February 3, 1985 and Kaussen's suicide. New San Francisco homeless strategy In 1988, Shaw proposed San Francisco to adopt a modified payments program (MPP), enabling homeless single adults receiving welfare to obtain permanent housing. He talked to hotel owners and found that many would be willing to charge rents affordable to welfare recipients if they could ensure rent payments. Under the MPP, welfare recipients agreed to have their checks "modified" so that THC