Rent-Freeze Opposition - Op-ed and Letters in the Daily News 5-11-10

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http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_15057492

Almut Bower: Rent freeze would leave landlords holding the bag
By Almut Bower Almut Bower is a mom-and-pop landlady of 22 years. She lives in Winnetka.
Posted: 05/11/2010 09:46:03 AM PDT
Updated: 05/11/2010 09:46:39 AM PDT

IF the Los Angeles City Council wants to help cash-strapped tenants, then the city should foot the bill. The landlords should not carry the burden of subsidizing the rent for people who may have fallen on hard times - quite often, but not always, through their own fault.

I am a mom-and-pop landlord. I own six units. It's my retirement. I worked hard for it and counted on the fruits of my labor during my golden years. Not only did I lose part of my invested savings during the downturn of the economy and the stock market the past couple of years, I am also on the hook for the retirement of public employees.

To add insult to injury, on Friday the City Council voted to draft an ordinance to cut the income on the already rent-controlled apartments with a temporary freeze on rent increases. Some units fetch way under market rent. Tenants with new SUVs, flat screen TVs, and kids in college enjoy these comforts and I am happy for them. But these comforts are being paid with money subsidized by Mr./Mrs. Private Citizen Landlord and we feel we are being taken advantage of.
Rents of non-rent-controlled units way outpaced the allowable rent increase of rent-controlled units. Some tenants have not moved in many, many years and these tenants are not necessarily the ones who need to be subsidized; they are just damned clever or lucky!
We landlords have a conscience. We only increase rents on tenants who grossly underpay, the others we leave alone…..MORE http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_15057492

AND LETTERS http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_15057490

Bigger problems than just rent: Letters for Tuesday, May 11

Re "Council backs rent freeze in L.A." (May 8):
It is mind-boggling that the City Council of a city on the brink of bankruptcy believes itself qualified to tell apartment owners how to succeed in business. Councilman Richard Alarcon - who introduced the one-year rent freeze on all properties built before 1978 - admitted publicly that his employee had just received a voluntary rent reduction, demonstrating that owners appreciate and reward good tenants in tough times. There is an equal or greater problem with the onerous rent-control system in Los Angeles than just the limitation on rents. It requires scofflaws and gang members to be accommodated but does not protect other tenants from the dangerous conditions they create nor reimburse owners for the physical damage they do and the thousands of dollars it costs to evict them.
- DENISE A. JUSTIN
Los Angeles

Rent control to pay utility bills?

Re "Council backs rent freeze in L.A." (May 8):
As an apartment manager, I know firsthand the difficulties we have had in renting our vacant units to decent people and how much our income has gone down each month over the last couple of years. I also know that it's harder and harder for us to pay our bills. The only people we have increased rent on are those who have lived here for years and whose rent is very low. I think the real reason City Councilman Richard Alarc n wants rent increases frozen is so that these renters will have enough money each month to pay the increases in water and electric and all the other fees the city collects each month. It's way past time to put him and the rest of thieves out of office.
- TONY TAYLOR
North Hollywood