Tenant Loses One
Albert Dunne, 88-year-old recipient of the Purple
heart in WWII and resident in the same apartment in Venice for 47 years, and
fighting eviction from the unit, heard the verdict from the judge on Sept. 20.
The landlord, Mr. Flournoy, wants to rehab the apartment and has claimed
hardship exemption from the temporary rehab ordinance put in place by the Los
Angeles city Council.
The Judge found in favor of the landlord
stating that due process was followed and the landlord could file a hardship
exemption from the rehab ordinance. Legal Aid is appealing the judgment.
The ordinance prevents landlords from
evicting tenants if the cost is less than ten thousand dollars a unit and not
necessary.
The ordinance specifies that
if the tenant has to move for the rehab, the tenant can move back at the same
rent plus 10 percent. The proposal to make this ordinance permanent will be
heard in LA City Council Chambers on Oct.
8.
This ordinance is very important to
low-income tenants and/or tenants who have lived in their apartments for a long
time. The ordinance prevents landlords from evicting long-term tenants on the
basis of rehabilitation of the unit in order to move tenants out, slap on a coat
of paint, and/or “cosmeticize” the unit with unneeded improvements,
ie window boxes, marble sinks, etc., and then charge inflated rents to the next
tenants. This is a very important adjunct to tenants rights to live in a
community, and become part of it. This is especially important in a fast
gentrifying area such as Venice. If you can’t be at City Hall on Oct. 8,
call Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski at 310-575-8461 and let her know how you
feel.
Posted: Wed - October 1, 2003 at 07:20 PM