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Matthew Buck
The
California Apartment Association has again expanded its public affairs team in
Los Angeles County, better positioning the association to meet the legislative
and compliance needs of its members.
Matthew Buck, a veteran government affairs advocate at CAA, was tapped this spring to spearhead the association’s public affairs work in Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, West Covina and Pomona. Buck previously headed CAA’s government advocacy programs in Orange County and the Inland Empire.
Bringing Buck to L.A. County marks the second time in as many years that CAA has added public affairs resources to the region, which continues to present… Read More
Tagged: News Los Angeles
Tenant activists are again attempting to place a rent
control measure before voters in Pasadena.
Rent control proponents last month announced they would
attempt to qualify an initiative for the November 2020 ballot. Although the measure
currently lacks details, tenant activists hope to cap rents at the rate of
inflation and include a “just cause” eviction policy in the measure, according
to LAist.
The Pasadena Tenant Justice Coalition is behind the latest
effort. The coalition includes five groups: the Pasadena Tenants Union; Socialist
Scientists of Pasadena; Affordable Housing Services; American Civil Liberties
Union—Southern California; and the Democratic
Socialists of America… Read More
Over CAA’s objections, the Long Beach City Council this week
approved an ordinance that effectively caps rent increases at 10% on the city’s
older apartment buildings and limits the ability of landlords to terminate
tenancies.
The Tenant
Relocation Assistance Ordinance, which advanced Tuesday on a 6-3
vote, contains forms of both rent control and so-called “just cause” eviction
policies. The council is expected to formalize approval of the ordinance with a
second vote June 11.
The Los Angeles City Council this week voted to draft an ordinance requiring landlords to consider prospective tenants with Section 8 vouchers.
If ultimately approved, the ordinance could take effect as early as Jan. 1 of next year. Several other California jurisdictions have passed similar laws, including the city of San Diego, San Francisco, and Marin County, , and Long Beach is now considering such an ordinance.
Tagged: Section 8 Los Angeles
After hours of testimony Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to create a “just cause” eviction ordinance, rejecting two years’ worth of negotiations and compromise by the council-appointed Landlord/Tenant Task Force.
Although they sound innocuous, so-called “just cause” ordinances require rental property owners to prove a cause in court or before a political body every time they need to remove a problem resident.
This makes it very difficult to remove tenants who have no regard for their neighbors, destroy the property, and tenants who are involved in illegal activity. As a result, communities suffer the consequences as nuisance conditions are not easily remedied.
Tagged: Just Cause Eviction Los Angeles
Over the objections of CAA, the Inglewood City Council on Tuesday agreed to pursue a permanent rent control ordinance, “just cause” eviction policies, and a relocation assistance program tied to rent increases.
The council advanced these policies one week after extending a temporary rent control and just-cause measure for an additional 60 days. The interim ordinance caps rent increases at 5%.
Under the permanent rent control ordinance, rent increases would be limited to 8% each year.
Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday will consider extending a temporary rent cap they approved last year, a move that lays the groundwork to pursue a permanent rent control measure.
Supervisors also will consider expanding the “just cause” eviction provision to cover all properties, not just rentals built after 1995.
In
the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the Long Beach City Council voted 6-3 to
draft a tenant relocation ordinance that will bring a form of rent and eviction
controls to the city.
CAA
remains opposed to the forthcoming ordinance, which is expected to require
landlords with buildings of four units or more to pay relocation assistance
when tenants receive certain types of termination notices. Buildings with four
units would be exempt only when the owner lives in the building.
Voters will soon decide whether to increase taxes on improvements to buildings within the Los Angeles Unified School District, including apartments.
On the June 4 ballot is Measure EE, which would levy a parcel tax of 16 cents per square foot of building improvements annually for 12 years. If approved, the measure is expected to raise $500 million per year for L.A. Unified, which is the nation’s second largest school district.
Tagged: ElectionsTaxes Los Angeles
For the first
time in a decade, the city of Los Angeles plans to bump up its annual cap on
rent increases for rent controlled housing.
During a
12-month period beginning in July, landlords with rent controlled units will be
able to raise rents by up to 4 percent. The city has allowed rent increases on
rent controlled housing just three times since 1993, the last time being in
2009, Curbed
Los Angeles reported.
For more
information, see this flier
from the L.A. Housing and Community Investment Department.
Tagged: News Los Angeles