2005 - The Year We Stood Up For Renter Rights
By Jim
Smith
Lost: Thousands of Venice rental
units of affordable housing. Last seen being abducted by greedy landlords and
their political lackeys. If found, please return to the people of
Venice.
When I came to Venice in 1968, I rented a
single room with an ocean view for $15 a week. It was at a building at 14
Westminster, nicknamed the Dungeon, and it didn't have the greatest reputation
(It has since been renamed, if inaccurately, The Morrison). Even so, my rent was
in line with most of my neighbors. One bedroom apartments, and even bungalows,
could be had for $100 a month or less.
Rents remained pretty much the same
from year to year. Just for the hell of it, I moved from one apartment or house
to the next about once a year. I had my pick of many suitable and affordable
accommodations in all parts of Venice. Now, about the only way to have an
affordable rental is to have lived in the same place for the past 20 or more
years.
As late as 1975, I was renting a
one-bedroom apartment at 234 Horizon Avenue from Frank Soracco for $95 a month.
Today, thousands of units of Venice real estate are 30 years older and mostly
dingier, yet they are going for 10 to 20 times the rent of bygone days.
Why?
In the late 70s, President Jimmy
Carter presided over the worst inflation in U.S. history, which caused rents,
food and everything else to increase in price. This made it much more difficult
for those on the margins to live on welfare, the G.I. Bill, doing occasional odd
jobs, or selling a few lids of grass, etc. At the same time, the roller skating
craze put Venice on the map. People with actual jobs who could afford higher
rents began moving to the newly discovered beach.
In other parts of the city a wave of
plant closings and downsizings - the beginnings of globalization - made it
harder for many to afford rising rents. Groups like the Coalition for Economic
Survival were formed and a tenants' movement was born. From Venice to East L.A.,
renters were demanding the city council put the brakes on rent
increases.
In response, the big
apartment owners, real estate corporations and developers teamed up to fight the
growing strength of renters. At first they concentrated on preventing cities
from passing rent control ordinances, or at least worked to water them down as
much as possible.
Ultimately, the
landlords were able to buy - or elect - many of the politicians in the state,
including most of the legislature, the governor, city council members, etc. Only
a few cities - Santa Monica, Berkeley, Santa Cruz - passed strong rent control
provisions.
L.A.'s law was weaker
primarily because it allowed vacancy decontrol. Probably nothing else accounts
for the theft of affordable housing as much as this one provision. A friend of
mine recently moved out of her noisy apartment on Pacific Avenue at Westminster
Ave. She had been paying $800 per month for the past few years. As soon as she
was out the door, a sign went up: Apartment for Rent - $1800/mo. There had been
no improvements and the roar of traffic on Pacific had not abated. Vacancy
decontrol had taken away another affordable
apartment.
Landlords usually complain
about government regulations and interference with local affairs. Yet in 1995,
they took vacancy decontrol statewide with the Costa-Hawkins Bill, which the
legislature dutifully passed. This gutted rent control in Santa Monica and gave
an incentive to landlords to push long-time tenants out the door so they could
raise rents.
The Costa-Hawkins Act was
preceded by another landlord boondoggle, the Ellis Act, which allows them to go
out of the rental business. Although they have to pay relocation expenses of
$8,000 for seniors, disabled and families and $3,200 for everyone else, it's a
cheap solution for devious developers. Once everyone is evicted, the building
can be demolished and a new one built which is not subject to rent control. Only
building dating from 1978 or older are subject to Los Angeles Rent Control.
Another option for landlords under the Ellis Act is to convert the apartments to
condominiums which can be sold at exorbitant rates.
Tenants at Lincoln Place Apartments,
Venice's largest affordable housing complex, are fearful that the corporation
that owns these historic buildings will invoke Ellis in order to evict everyone.
Tenant activism has fallen off in the
last few years, but it may make a comeback if rents continue to rise. In Venice,
tenants are forced out of their homes every month. Venetians love their
community and many would rather live in their car or camper than move to another
city. Others are forced to live on the street. Contrary to the opinions of the
anti-homeless, many of the people on our streets are longtime Venice residents
who can no longer afford an apartment. Many more (you know who you are) are
barely hanging on to their homes.
In recent
years, basic human needs like housing and health care have become "profit
centers" for corporations and the wealthy. Should profits come before peoples
needs? Should only the wealthy be able to live by the coast?
It doesn't have to work that way. In
Cuba (there he goes again!), rents are not only strictly capped at 10 percent of
the tenant's income, but also rent payments apply to the purchase of the home.
Because of this program, about 80 percent of all Cubans own their apartments and
houses. Of course, the U.S. is much richer than Cuba and could do an even better
job in providing for our housing
needs.
How can we establish the right
to housing for all people? Can we roll back rents to 1995 levels when landlords
began making windfall profits? Or can we at least strengthen rent control and
get rid of vacancy decontrol and the Ellis Act? The answer lies in organizing -
both in our buildings and citywide.
Currently, there are only two tenant
organizations in Venice, the Lincoln Place Tenants Association and the Holiday
Venice Tenants Association. Neither of these addresses tenant issues that don't
directly affect their buildings. But there are other organizations that address
tenant needs. They include the Venice Community Housing Corporation (399-4100);
the Coalition for Economic Survival (323-656-4410); and the Legal Aid Foundation
of Los Angeles (213-640-3881).
We
could use our own Venice Tenants Union. Contact the Beachhead if you're
interested.
Venice is full of affordable
housing. We just have to reclaim it.
Posted: Sat
- January 1, 2005 at 06:50 PM