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Coalition for
Economic Survival
514 Shatto Place
Suite 270
Los Angeles, California
90020
Phone: (213)252-4411
Fax: (213)252-4422
contactces@earthlink.net
Coalition for
Economic Survival
514 Shatto Place
Suite 270
Los Angeles, California
90020
Phone: (213)252-4411
Fax: (213)252-4422
contactces@earthlink.net
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| November 25, 2009 |
Coalition for Economic Survival
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News Release
Contact Larry Gross, CES Exec Dir.
(213) 252-4411 ext. 201 |
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West Hollywood Celebrates Its 25th Birthday
Coalition for Economic Survival, the Group
That Led the Cityhood Drive, Congratulates
the City Built on Rent Control |
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The Real Story Behind The Creation of the City of West Hollywood
Twenty-five years ago members of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) rejoiced after a 7-year campaign to secure tenants' rights and preserve affordable housing in the then 1.9 square mile LA County unincorporated area of West Hollywood.
On November 29, 1984, CES members joined with other residents to pack the auditorium in West Hollywood's Plummer Park, as media from around the world covered the swearing in of West Hollywood's first City Council. Four out of the 5 being elected were on CES' Renters' Right Slate of Candidates. And while the news-media reported on that this was the first City Council with a majority of gay and lesbian elected officials, which was significant in itself, the real story was that the main reason this new city was created was to save and strengthen rent control.
The Fight to Win Rent Control
In 1979, CES led an effort to secure a rent control ordinance for LA County's unincorporated areas by a vote of the LA County Board of Supervisors. This came a year after CES' success in winning rent control in the City of Los Angeles. But in 1983, an anti-rent control conservative majority took control of the Board of Supervisors. They eventually voted to phase out County rent control on December 31, 1984.
CES first attempted to counter this by placing the only initiative measure on the LA County ballot, which was a strong rent control law. Proposition M failed in November 1983, as landlords spent millions on a fear campaign targeting homeowner voters in the outlying unincorporated areas. But in West Hollywood the measure received overwhelming (5 to 1) voter support
West Hollywood Cityhood Campaign Launched
This laid the electoral groundwork for CES' role in leading incorporation efforts for West Hollywood. With the County determining that West Hollywood could be a financially viable city, CES forged a unique alliance made up of gays and lesbians together with senior renters uniting around the need for tenants' rights, civil rights, and local control. CES secured a number of seats on the small West Hollywood Incorporation Committee, chaired by Ron Stone and co-chaired by CES West Hollywood Chapter chair Audrey Isser.
CES, which had a large active grassroots membership in West Hollywood, took responsibility for obtaining the required number of signatures - 25% of the area's registered voters - in order to place the cityhood measure on the ballot. Pushing to secure the measure for the November 1984 ballot in order to beat the County rent control phase-out date, CES set a County record by signing up 27% of the voters in only 52 days.
Nervous landlords and real estate lobbyists tried to deny a cityhood vote with a failed lawsuit and then by a last minute move to convince the Board of Supervisors to extend a weak version of rent control. Their moves could not stop a November 1984 cityhood vote.
The City of West Hollywood Established
The process also required voters to choose the first five members to serve on the City Council if the incorporation was approved. CES developed a slate of candidates as CES' Renters' Rights Team, which was a reflection of the gay/lesbian, senior and renter community. On November 6, 1984 West Hollywood cityhood and all but one of CES' Renters Rights slate, out of a field of 40 candidates, were approved by voters. At the first City Council meeting the Council unanimously voted to freeze rents and place moratoriums on evictions, demolitions, development and condo conversions until the city developed its own rent control law. The Council also voted to prohibit all forms of sexual discrimination based on sexual orientation.
History in the Making & Lessons to be Learned
This was only the beginning. In its 25-year history, West Hollywood has provided leadership in the state and the nation on progressive legislation, such as on LGBT issues, HIV/AIDS, gun violence, domestic violence, women's issues and animal cruelty.
In reflecting on CES' historic work, Larry Gross, CES Executive Director stated, "The success in West Hollywood serves as an important example for tenants in the Los Angeles area and across the nation. When you organize people and bring them together and empower them through their involvement, that's where real change is going to occur. That's where things that matter and impact people are going to happen. This effort must serve as a lesson in people's power for generations to come. West Hollywood was created by an organized grassroots effort. It is a city built on rent control. I am so very proud that CES played such a crucial role and was a determining factor in the creation of the City of West Hollywood."
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| November 6, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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CES In Action!
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| United Nations Investigates Affordable Housing Crisis in LA and Across US |
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The severe impact of the US housing crisis on low- and moderate-income people has become so great that even the United Nations decided the situation has warranted an investigation. As a result, the UN dispatched a Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Raquel Rolnik, on a multi-US city fact-finding mission. The cities visited included New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington DC, Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota and Wilkes-Barre, Pa. On November 3 and 4, Ms. Rolnik was greeted by a broad alliance of housing/tenant activist groups, including CES, in Los Angeles.
The UN's Special Rapporteur on housing "is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to examine and report" on the case of adequate housing throughout the world.
Ms Rolnik began her LA tour with a briefing on the area's affordable housing crisis. This was followed by a tour of slum housing, skid row, non-profit affordable housing, a community health care facility, public, HUD subsidized and Section 8 housing, and communities fighting displacement and gentrification.
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Town Hall Meeting on Affordable Housing Crisis |
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In the evening, 200-300 people attended a Town Hall meeting where presentations were made by several participating organizations at The California Endowment in downtown LA. Here skits, slideshow presentations and personal testimonies gave perspective not only to the effects of Los Angeles' housing crisis, but also the organizing strategies being used to fight it.
CES tenant leaders from Morton Gardens Apartments in Echo Park, in celebration of their recent US Court of Appeals victory protecting them from evictions and providing Section 8 tenant protections nationwide (see CES web site article), presented a skit reenacting their visit to their landlords' UCLA classroom to present this noted real estate professor an award of "Greediest Landlord in LA."
Ms. Rolnik acknowledged the work of various community organizations, saying, "I have seen a lot of struggle, a lot of solidarity, and a lot of mobilizing, and I am thinking that this is the way, this is the hope." Earlier in New York, she stated, "Housing is a human right. It is a constant fight, a constant struggle for people to get government to ensure their right to housing."
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UN Comes to CES Organized HUD Subsidized Building |
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The following day Ms. Rolnik's examination of the housing crisis in LA continued with a stop at La Villa Hermosa Apartments, a HUD subsidized housing complex in South LA. La Villa Hermosa CES tenant leaders have organized to preserve their homes. CES tenants spoke about the difficulty in obtaining needed repairs, the constant harassment from management in an effort to make them move, and how they have been fighting to stop the owners' attempt to remove the complex from the federal rent subsidy program. As if on cue, as tenants were presenting their stories on the sidewalk in front of the building, the building's resident manager appeared and began taking pictures of the tenants. Ms Rolnik immediately approached the manager to identify herself and explain that she had requested the tenants to gather.
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The visit ended with Ms. Rolnik being presented a CES T-shirt and button indicating that she was now an honorary CES member. Ms. Rolnik responded that she was "very proud to be an honorary CES member."
Ms. Rolnik will provide a report on her visit by the end of November, to the US government and the UN Human Rights Council. A final report to the UN General Assembly is planned for March 2010.
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The Team Responsible for the Tour's Success |
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In addition to CES, the other groups who worked hard in organizing the events in LA included LA Community Action Network (LACAN), Legal Aid Foundation of LA, LA Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness, POWER, Union de Vecinos, Coalition LA, Comunidad Presente, Lamp Community, Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County, Korean Immigrant Worker Alliance, Beyond Shelter, Esperanza Community Housing, St. John's Well Child Center, Skid Row Housing Trust, LA Neighborhood Housing Services Housing Long Beach, Black Mesa Indigenous Support and Eviction Defense Network.
Special thanks go out to CES Tenant Organizer Joel Montano for his hard work in organizing CES' participation and contribution to this event, and to Becky Dennison of LACAN whose tireless work as overall coordinator of the LA tour was a key to its success.
The national tour was coordinated by the New York-based National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI), a nonprofit organization that promotes a cultural and political commitment to a human rights vision that ensures dignity and access to basic resources in the US.
Click here for more pictures from the Town Hall Meeting and CES' organized site visit at La Villa Hermosa Apartments.
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| October 22, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| October/November, 2009 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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Will LA Rent Control Be Strengthened or Weakened?
Study Reveals That Rent Burden to Tenants Has Increased Significantly, While Landlords Profits Continue to Rise
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A recently released study documents that over half of LA City tenants living in rent controlled apartments are paying unaffordable rents, while landlords who own rent controlled apartments have seen their profits skyrocket.
The Study found that the LA City Rent Control law covers 66% of LA's inventory of rental units. However, the majority of LA renters are rent-burdened, paying over 30 percent of their income for rent, and roughly a third are severely rent-burdened, paying half or more of their income for rent.
Read more here
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Victory for Tenants & Affordable Housing
104-Unit Rent Controlled Apartment
Complex Denied Condo Conversion Approval |
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On October 13, 2009, the LA City Council unanimously voted to uphold the recommendation to deny a condominium conversion application of a 104-unit rent controlled apartment complex in Sherman Oaks.
The City Council vote marked the end of another chapter in an over decade-old fight with four different landlords to stop tenants from being displaced, and to prevent this affordable housing from being lost.
During this time, the tenants fought and won other landlords' attempts to evict them and/or raise their rents.
Finally, the tenants are able to celebrate. But, they know their landlord is unlikely to give up and the fight to save their homes will continue.
Read more here
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Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Governor Signs Two Important
Tenants' Rights Bills, But Vetoes Another |
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two important tenants' rights bills providing tenants across California a significant victory. Unfortunately, the Governor also vetoed a bill that would have provided needed protection for mobile home owners from greedy owners' attempts to convert their mobile home parks.
SB 290 (Leno - D - San Francisco) will make the 60-day notice requirement for no-fault evictions permanent.
SB 120 (Lowenthal - D - Long Beach) provides tenants increased protection against utility shutoffs, including tenants in single family homes.
Read more here
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LA City Tenant Foreclosure Eviction Law
Expected to be Extended |
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LA City President Eric Garcetti has introduced a motion to extend eviction protections to tenants living in foreclosed rent properties. On December 17, 2008, the City Council adopted the Foreclosure Eviction Ordinance to protect tenants living in rental properties not subject to the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance from eviction on the grounds of foreclosure. CES Executive Director Larry Gross was invited to the ordinance signing by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Council President Garcetti. This Ordinance, which is scheduled to sunset on December 23, 2009, prohibits lenders from evicting any tenants in the City merely because of foreclosure. Although the Rent Control law prohibited eviction of tenants merely due to foreclosure, prior to adoption of this Ordinance, no protection existed for tenants living in properties exempt from the RSO, including single-family homes. The ordinance is expected to be extended to December 31, 2010. |
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| Join CES' Tenant Leadership Council |
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Once you've become a CES member you are urged to become an active member by joining CES' Tenant Leadership Council.
The Tenant Leadership Council is where you, as a CES Member, can help CES determine issues to work on, get support from other tenants facing similar problems, strategize and develop solutions, build your skills, plan campaigns and, most important, help win economic justice.
Just click here, on the
CES Tenant Leadership Council Application Form.
Print it. Fill it out. And, send it back to CES. It's that easy.
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| October 09, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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VICTORY!!!
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The Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) scored a major tenants' rights victory when the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled in BARRIENTOS v. 1801-1825 MORTON LLC, that Los Angeles' rent control law is not preempted by federal laws or regulations.
The decision, which has a national impact, specially provides Section 8 tenants living at Morton Gardens Apartments in Echo Park protection against their landlord's attempt to evict them.
In ruling, the US Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, stated that a landlord subject to the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance ("LARSO") served notices of eviction upon tenants whose rent is subsidized by the federal government, because it desired to raise the rent on the apartment units. Though LARSO prohibits eviction for that purpose, Morton asserts that a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulation permits the eviction of an assisted tenant during the lease term for "good cause" grounds, which "may include [the] desire to lease the unit at a higher rental." We must decide whether HUD's "good cause" regulation preempts the operation of the City of Los Angeles's eviction control ordinance. We hold that it does not. We affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the tenants, permanent injunctive relief, and award of attorney's fees.
Legal Team Deserves Much Recognition & Appreciation
This victory is the direct result of the tireless work and deep commitment of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles Attorney Christian Abasto, Attorney Jim Grow, the nationally acclaimed subsidized housing legal expert with the Oakland-based National Housing Law Project and Attorney Michael Soloff, a partner in the powerful downtown law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson, who brilliantly argued the case before the 9th Circuit United States Court of Appeals on March 2, 2009.
City of LA and HUD Lent Support
The City of Los Angeles and HUD, as well as the AARP Foundation, filed amici curiae ("Friend of the Court") briefs in support of our case. LA City Council President Eric Garcetti, who represents the Morton Gardens tenants, provided important backing and helped in securing HUD's support.
CES' Long Efforts to Stop Evictions & Preserve This Affordable Housing
For more than the last 20 years, CES has been assisting these tenants' efforts to fight off evictions. Morton Gardens was developed in 1971 as a low-income rental housing project through a HUD subsidized mortgage-secured low interest loan program.
Morton Garden apartments is a 66-unit building which is situated just over a hill from Dodger Stadium in Echo Park.
In 1998 the prior owners prepaid the subsidized loan in advance of the original loan maturity date, thus removing the federal rent restrictions. As a result, tenants in residence received "enhanced" Section 8 rent subsidy vouchers, which entitled them the right to remain in their units, paying the same rent and requiring landlords to accept these vouchers as long as the tenants decide to stay and Congress provides the funding. In addition, other tenants holding regular Section 8 vouchers have since moved in.
In 2003, the City and the tenants had obtained an earlier ruling from the 9th Circuit Court that upheld the application of the City's rent control law to the units, rejecting the owner's claim that federal law "preempted" local rent protections.
Eric Sussman, who along with other partners bought the building for $8 million in 2006, is not just any landlord. He teaches real estate at one of the nation's preeminent business schools, the UCLA Anderson School of Management. CES and tenants have argued that he should have known when he bought Morton Gardens that Section 8 tenants lived there and it is unethical of him to try to evict them just to increase rents.
The Morton Garden case involves two related, but distinct, federal tenant-based housing subsidies: "enhanced Section 8 vouchers" and regular Section 8 "housing choice vouchers."
The landlord was challenging the Congressionally enacted right to remain for the enhanced voucher holders, as well as the applicability of the city's just cause eviction law, which protects Section 8 tenants living in rent controlled units. Tenant attorneys citywide have been defending tenants against a wave of 90-day Section 8 termination notices, arguing that a Section 8 contract cannot be terminated until there is a vacancy and there needs to be a "just cause" reason under the rent control law to evict a tenant to secure a vacancy.
In 2007, tenants, outraged by eviction notices they received, rode a school bus to UCLA to protest outside his class. They held signs, chanted and then presented Sussman with a ceramic piggy bank, an award as the "Greediest Landlord in L.A."
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To Read the landmark 9th Circuit United States Court of Appeals Decision that Protects Section 8 Tenants From Evictions and Finds that HUD regulations don't preempt local Rent Control Laws
Click Here
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(Right) CES member Dulce Pena, who lives at the Morton Gardens Apartments in Echo Park, hands UCLA Real Estate Professor Eric Sussman, her landlord, a ceramic pig award for the city's greediest landlord as Morton Garden children look on. On May 17, 2007, Morton Gardens tenants and supporters traveled to UCLA to confront their landlord outside his classroom. Tenants wore CES bright red T-shirts and hoisted signs telling Sussman he should be ashamed. In addition to presenting Sussman the piggy bank, they handed UCLA officials that were present a letter asking UCLA's chancellor to review Sussman's business practices.
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| September 04, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
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| September, 2009 |
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CES ACTION ALERT!
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| Significant Eviction Protections Could Depend On You Acting NOW! |
Calif Assembly Passed Bill to Make
60 Day Eviction Notice Permanent |
| Letters, Calls & Emails Needed NOW to Urge Governor to Sign the Bill! |
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Tenants scored a major victory on the Assembly Floor late Thursday, as 44 Democrats voted to send SB 290, authored by San Francisco state Senator Mark Leno, to the Governor's desk, to make permanent existing law that requires landlords to give tenants 60 days' notice when terminating a tenancy when the tenant is without fault.
The notice has been in state law for over six years, but the Realtors and landlord groups remain opposed. The 60 days enables tenants to hunt for affordable rentals, keep children in their schools and gives the elderly and disabled more time to find scarce accessible rentals.
If Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes SB 290, on January 1, 2010, the law would revert back to requiring landlords to provide only a 30 day eviction notice.
The Governor has signed one of the previous 60 day notice bills that included an expiration date. The challenge is to convince him that the 60-day notice has demonstrated its value, the landlord industry has proven no harm, and it should become permanent law.
To View the Assembly Vote, Click Here
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| TELL THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN THE 60 DAY EVICTION NOTICE BILL! |
| Contact Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to urge him to sign SB 290 (Leno), which will make permanent existing law that requires landlords to give tenants 60 days' notice when terminating a tenancy when the tenant is without fault. |
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Call, Email, Write, Fax:
Contact the Governor
Governor's Office
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
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To send an Electronic Mail please visit:
http://www.govmail.ca.gov |
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| July 20, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| July, 2009 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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Progressive Democrats Sell Out Mobile Home Owners
California Assembly Delivers Blow to Rent Control |
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Tenants' rights advocates were recently shocked when a bill, AB 761 (Calderon, D-Whittier), that would severely cripple all of California's over 100 local mobile-home rent control laws, passed the Assembly with the minimum votes needed. What was so shocking is that the bill only passed due to the support of a number of Los Angeles area progressive and liberal Democrats providing their support. |
| LA area Assembly Member Democrats Karen Bass, John Perez, Mike Davis, Anthony Portantino, Kevin De Leon and Ed Hernandez all voted for this horrendous anti-rent control bill. |
Read More Here
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| CES Issues Healthy Homes Report & Recommendations to Address Sub-Standard Housing Conditions |
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The Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) conducted a two-year campaign (February 2007 - May 2009) entitled the Healthy Household Environmental Actions for Tenants (HHEAT), which was funded by The California Endowment. This effort had the dual goal of organizing tenants in high-risk housing to ensure proper eradication of health hazards in their homes without losing their housing through landlord harassment or eviction; and to generate the necessary data and develop tenant leadership to advocate for improving local systems.
CES' HHEAT campaign produced a policy recommendation report which examines how the City and County of Los Angeles, together with the State and community-based organizations can advance the common vision of improving environmental health and housing conditions to ensure tenants safe, healthy and affordable housing.
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Read The Report Here |
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Tenants Appear to Have No Friends
in California Governor's Race |
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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed three pro-tenant ordinances designed to help renters facing hard times. He even nixed a relatively mild proposal to limit "banked" rent increases to 8%. Newsom's record on tenant issues in San Francisco has always been bad, and his latest act does not bode well for next year's statewide elections.
California's 14 million renters need a champion in the Governor's Mansion after six years of a hostile Republican Administration, but Newsom currently only has one opponent for the Democratic primary - state Attorney General Jerry Brown. Based on his record as Mayor of Oakland, Brown is no sure bet tenants' rights supporter. There is no excuse why California can't have a pro-tenant Governor.
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Read More Here
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| June 11, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| June, 2009 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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New Eviction Protections Won
Loopholes Allowing Landlord to Unjustly Evict Tenants Closed |
On June 9, 2009 the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted in favor of finalizing an ordinance that will provide tenants more eviction protections.
The measure will significantly close a loophole regarding evictions for "Good Faith," such as for owner move-ins and for moving in an owner's family member. This has been an area of extreme abuse and fraud resulting in many unjust evictions. |
Read More Here
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| California Assembly Member Dave Jones Visits Building & Discusses Code Violations with CES Tenant Leaders |
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Assembly Member Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) spent the morning of May 29, 2009 discussing the problems CES tenants leaders were facing at their building. The building, located in LA's Beverly/Normandie area, has been plagued with numerous housing code violations and has been in the city's Rent Escrow Account Program. Tenants have been battling the landlord to make the needed repairs and have had to fight against harassment and abuse. |
Read More Here
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Save Your City Web Site Set Up
to Fight State Budget Cuts |
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The League of California Cities, who CES worked closely with to defeat Proposition 98 (the statewide anti-rent control measure) last year, has launched a website to heighten awareness and generate interest on the damaging effects to vital city services, if the state takes city dollars to balance the California's budget. The web site is posting video messages to the Governor and state legislators. |
Read More Here
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Lead Hazard Remediation Won For Tenants
in East Hollywood Building |
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CES achieved a victory in securing safe, lead-free housing this month, as the LA Housing Department's Lead Hazard Remediation Program (LHRP) has approved the application for a building on Grace Street in East Hollywood to receive a grant for lead component removal.
LHRP provides grants for lead hazard remediation to be performed in buildings where there is positive levels of lead-based paint.
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Read More Here
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Tenants Win Again, As Planning Commission Denies
Landlord Condo Conversion Appeal |
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In March, we reported the Planning Department Advisory Committee voting to deny an application for a 104-unit condominium conversion in Sherman Oaks resulting in tenants saving their homes and affordable housing being preserved.
This victory was preserved on May 28, 2009 when the full Los Angeles Planning Commission upheld the Advisory Committee decision by denying the landlord's appeal.
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Read More Here
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| April 10, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| April, 2009 - Number 2 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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| CES In The News > Los Angeles Times - Friday, April 10, 2009 |
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| April 10, 2009 |
Lancaster Proposes Limiting
Section 8 Housing
Amendments to the city's rental ordinance would allow business licenses to be withheld from landlords who want to rent to such tenants. Affordable housing advocates condemn the plan. |
By Ann Simmons |
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Determined to slash the number of Section 8 renters in Lancaster, officials are proposing amendments to the city's rental housing ordinance that would allow it to withhold business licenses from landlords who want to rent to low-income tenants with federal vouchers.
Officials contend that more than 2,300 residential units are occupied by Section 8 tenants in their city, about 12% of the total number of vouchers administered by the Housing Authority of Los Angeles County. The federal program provides rental subsidies for the needy.
"We would not give out any new licenses for Section 8" under the new ordinance, said Vice Mayor Ronald D. Smith. "We would at least like to stem the tide. All we want is a fair and equitable share."
Last year, Smith wrote to U.S. Congressmen Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), and Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), who represent the Antelope Valley, requesting help in appealing to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for approval to amend the city's business license ordinance for rental housing.
The amended ordinance would bar licenses to landlords who intend to rent residential property to Section 8 voucher-holders. It would not affect existing Section 8 landlords and tenants. Officials at the county's Housing Authority acknowledged that Lancaster is the city with the highest number of Section 8 contracts, out of the 20,095 federal contracts administered countywide. But they put the number at 2,100, or 10% of the county's contracts.
Maria Badrakhan, acting assistant executive director for the county's housing
authority, declined to comment on any potential legal implications regarding Lancaster's proposal. But, she said, "there are federal fair housing laws that need to be considered."
She also rebuffed allegations by Lancaster officials that her agency was actively encouraging Section 8 voucher holders to move to Lancaster, stressing that "federal law does not allow us to steer folks anywhere."
More than 100,000 people were on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers in L.A. County, Badrakhan said.
Lancaster was an attractive location, because of "the affordability, the quality of housing, and the willingness of landlords to participate in the [Section 8] program," she said.
Several affordable housing advocates and landlord associations condemned the city's proposal, particularly when the number of homeless in the county is estimated at about 73,000.
Lancaster's proposal is an "out-and-out attack on low-income people," said Larry Gross, executive director of the L.A.-based Coalition for Economic Survival, a tenants rights group. "They are putting up a sign on the borders of Lancaster saying that poor people are not welcome here."
James Clarke, executive director of the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, which represents about 25,000 owners and managers of rental properties, called Lancaster's proposal "outrageous."
He said the vacancy rate for rentals in L.A. County had risen to 8% from 3% in the last six months. "There are empty apartments, and landlords who want to fill these apartments would be more than willing to rent to Section 8, because they are guaranteed the rent," Clarke said.
Lindsey Mask, Rep. McKeon's communications director, said in a written response that the congressman had asked HUD "to look into giving the city of Lancaster more flexibility in certifying which property owners are allowed to rent their property to Section 8 voucher tenants."
Nick Bouknight, a spokesman for Rep. McCarthy, said that McCarthy was also helping Lancaster to "research options so that they can find the best course of action that works for our neighborhoods. "
Norm Hickling, L.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's field deputy for the Antelope Valley, said that the county would not support any program specifically targeting the business licenses of potential Section 8 landlords.
Smith, Lancaster's vice mayor, said the large numbers of foreclosures in the city had resulted in potential investors snapping up these properties and converting them to Section 8 rentals. The increase in federal voucher tenants has placed a large burden on the city's social services and contributed to crime, he said.
"While the intent of Section 8 was well-meaning, it is a failed program," Smith said. "It has turned into an abused system. We are trying to clean up the program so that our neighborhoods are safe."
Meanwhile, the city is also considering making Section 8 landlords pay for expenses incurred for policing their rentals units. And investigators would start tracking Section 8 renters who break the rules of their contracts, and push for their vouchers to be revoked, officials said.
"If you use Section 8 for what it was intended for, and you want to come to Lancaster, that's fine," Smith said. If not, "we're going to track you down, we're going to find you, and we're going to send you packing."
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| EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE TO LANCASTER CITY OFFICIALS |
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Contact City of Lancaster Officials and Demand That They Reverse Their Outrageous Discriminatory New Policy That is a Direct Attack on Low-Income Tenants
Just earlier in the week, in opposing a prison facility, Lancaster city officials outrageously equate low income Section 8 tenants with parolees and juvenile probationers, such as sex offender and ex-gang members.
In another L.A. Times article, the following, "But Lancaster officials argue that the Antelope Valley is already home to some of the highest per-capita concentrations of parolees, juvenile probationers and federal Section 8 housing recipients in Los Angeles County."
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| Call and Email the Lancaster Mayor and City Council: |
| City Council & Mayor Phone: 661-723-6019 |
Mayor R. Rex Parris - Email: rrparris@cityoflancasterca.org
Vice Mayor Ronald D. Smith - Email: rdsmith@cityoflancasterca.org
Council Member Ed Sileo - Email: esileo@cityoflancasterca.org
Council Member Ken Mann - Email: kmann@cityoflancasterca.org
Council Member Sherry Marquez - Email: smarquez@cityoflancasterca.org
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| March 30, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) |
April 2009 |
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Congressional Hearings Held in L.A.
to Address the Area's Housing Crisis |
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On a beautiful sunny Los Angeles spring day, hundreds of people packed the Los Angeles Southwest College gymnasium on Saturday, March 28, 2009, to hear about the gloomy forecast tenants and homeowners face.
The occasion was a Congressional field hearing of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, chaired by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).. Rep. Waters was joined by Rep. Dianne Watson (D-CA).
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Reps. Maxine Waters (D-LA) and Diane Watson
preside over the Congressional housing hearing. |
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The purpose of the hearing was to examine public and affordable housing needs in Los Angeles specifically, foreclosures, HUD subsidized housing, Section 8 rental subsidies and public housing.
Congresswoman Waters said: "Families need stable housing, and during times of economic downturn, many people feel particularly vulnerable and anxious about their housing. I organized this hearing to bring together those hurt in the housing crisis and those who can help, and to help guide Congress as we take the next steps to help keep families in their homes and mortgage predators out of the markets."
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CES Executive Director testifying at the Congressional
housing hearing (from left to right): Susie Shannon,
Housing Advocate, LA Coalition to End Hunger and
Homelessness; Larry Gross, and Minelle Johnson,
a LA Section 8 voucher recipient. |
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One of those invited to testify by Rep. Waters was CES Executive Director Larry Gross. In response to the large number of tenants being evicted by banks foreclosing on multi-family rental properties, Gross told the committee: "Tenants who pay rent on time - have done nothing wrong, but now their lives are totally up-ended. Because banks just want them out. Yet, these banks had no problem begging Congress to bail them out with hundreds of billions of dollars - paid for by these tenants and other taxpayers. These banks should be prohibited from unfairly evicting the people who are paying for their corporate welfare."
Gross urged Congress to provide more funds to renew all project-based Section 8 contracts and Section 8 voucher contracts, provide additional Section 8 vouchers and support HUD tenant organizing, as well as to clarify HUD regulations to allow state and local governments to enact laws to provide additional protections, such as for evictions, to tenants living in government assisted housing.
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Congresswoman Maxine Waters takes a moment to talk with CES representatives at the Congressional hearing (from left to right): CES Tenant Organizer Joel Montano, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, CES Van Nuys Apartments tenant leader James "Doc" Bethard, CES Executive Director Larry Gross, CES Turner Apartments tenant leader and Rep. Waters' constituent Bertha Scott. |
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The CES HUD and Section 8 tenants attending the hearing came from Morton Gardens Apartments (Echo Park), La Villa Hermosa (South LA), Turner Apartments (South LA) and Van Nuys Apartments (Downtown LA).
Other allied groups turning out their members or having representatives attend included LA Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, LACAN, POWER, Unión de Vecinos, ACORN, SAJE, Public Counsel, Legal Aid Foundation of LA, Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County and SCANPH.
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Congressional
Housing Hearing |
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Giant Sign Outside LA Southwest College announces the Congressional housing hearing.
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| CES HUD Subsidized & Section 8 Voucher Tenant Leaders Attend Cong. Housing Hearing |
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Turner Apartments tenants (l-r):
Bertha Scott & Gray Scott
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Morton Gardens Apartments Tenants (l-r):
Dulce Pena & Bertha Cardenas
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La Villa Hermosa Apartments tenants (l-r):
Donald Jackson, Lois Lavan, Homer Neal
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| Click Here to read CES' testimony given to Congressional Housing Subcommittee |
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| November 25, 2009 |
Coalition for Economic Survival
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News Release
Contact Larry Gross, CES Exec Dir.
(213) 252-4411 ext. 201 |
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West Hollywood Celebrates Its 25th Birthday
Coalition for Economic Survival, the Group
That Led the Cityhood Drive, Congratulates
the City Built on Rent Control |
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The Real Story Behind The Creation of the City of West Hollywood
Twenty-five years ago members of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) rejoiced after a 7-year campaign to secure tenants' rights and preserve affordable housing in the then 1.9 square mile LA County unincorporated area of West Hollywood.
On November 29, 1984, CES members joined with other residents to pack the auditorium in West Hollywood's Plummer Park, as media from around the world covered the swearing in of West Hollywood's first City Council. Four out of the 5 being elected were on CES' Renters' Right Slate of Candidates. And while the news-media reported on that this was the first City Council with a majority of gay and lesbian elected officials, which was significant in itself, the real story was that the main reason this new city was created was to save and strengthen rent control.
The Fight to Win Rent Control
In 1979, CES led an effort to secure a rent control ordinance for LA County's unincorporated areas by a vote of the LA County Board of Supervisors. This came a year after CES' success in winning rent control in the City of Los Angeles. But in 1983, an anti-rent control conservative majority took control of the Board of Supervisors. They eventually voted to phase out County rent control on December 31, 1984.
CES first attempted to counter this by placing the only initiative measure on the LA County ballot, which was a strong rent control law. Proposition M failed in November 1983, as landlords spent millions on a fear campaign targeting homeowner voters in the outlying unincorporated areas. But in West Hollywood the measure received overwhelming (5 to 1) voter support
West Hollywood Cityhood Campaign Launched
This laid the electoral groundwork for CES' role in leading incorporation efforts for West Hollywood. With the County determining that West Hollywood could be a financially viable city, CES forged a unique alliance made up of gays and lesbians together with senior renters uniting around the need for tenants' rights, civil rights, and local control. CES secured a number of seats on the small West Hollywood Incorporation Committee, chaired by Ron Stone and co-chaired by CES West Hollywood Chapter chair Audrey Isser.
CES, which had a large active grassroots membership in West Hollywood, took responsibility for obtaining the required number of signatures - 25% of the area's registered voters - in order to place the cityhood measure on the ballot. Pushing to secure the measure for the November 1984 ballot in order to beat the County rent control phase-out date, CES set a County record by signing up 27% of the voters in only 52 days.
Nervous landlords and real estate lobbyists tried to deny a cityhood vote with a failed lawsuit and then by a last minute move to convince the Board of Supervisors to extend a weak version of rent control. Their moves could not stop a November 1984 cityhood vote.
The City of West Hollywood Established
The process also required voters to choose the first five members to serve on the City Council if the incorporation was approved. CES developed a slate of candidates as CES' Renters' Rights Team, which was a reflection of the gay/lesbian, senior and renter community. On November 6, 1984 West Hollywood cityhood and all but one of CES' Renters Rights slate, out of a field of 40 candidates, were approved by voters. At the first City Council meeting the Council unanimously voted to freeze rents and place moratoriums on evictions, demolitions, development and condo conversions until the city developed its own rent control law. The Council also voted to prohibit all forms of sexual discrimination based on sexual orientation.
History in the Making & Lessons to be Learned
This was only the beginning. In its 25-year history, West Hollywood has provided leadership in the state and the nation on progressive legislation, such as on LGBT issues, HIV/AIDS, gun violence, domestic violence, women's issues and animal cruelty.
In reflecting on CES' historic work, Larry Gross, CES Executive Director stated, "The success in West Hollywood serves as an important example for tenants in the Los Angeles area and across the nation. When you organize people and bring them together and empower them through their involvement, that's where real change is going to occur. That's where things that matter and impact people are going to happen. This effort must serve as a lesson in people's power for generations to come. West Hollywood was created by an organized grassroots effort. It is a city built on rent control. I am so very proud that CES played such a crucial role and was a determining factor in the creation of the City of West Hollywood."
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| November 6, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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CES In Action!
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| United Nations Investigates Affordable Housing Crisis in LA and Across US |
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The severe impact of the US housing crisis on low- and moderate-income people has become so great that even the United Nations decided the situation has warranted an investigation. As a result, the UN dispatched a Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Raquel Rolnik, on a multi-US city fact-finding mission. The cities visited included New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington DC, Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota and Wilkes-Barre, Pa. On November 3 and 4, Ms. Rolnik was greeted by a broad alliance of housing/tenant activist groups, including CES, in Los Angeles.
The UN's Special Rapporteur on housing "is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to examine and report" on the case of adequate housing throughout the world.
Ms Rolnik began her LA tour with a briefing on the area's affordable housing crisis. This was followed by a tour of slum housing, skid row, non-profit affordable housing, a community health care facility, public, HUD subsidized and Section 8 housing, and communities fighting displacement and gentrification.
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Town Hall Meeting on Affordable Housing Crisis |
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In the evening, 200-300 people attended a Town Hall meeting where presentations were made by several participating organizations at The California Endowment in downtown LA. Here skits, slideshow presentations and personal testimonies gave perspective not only to the effects of Los Angeles' housing crisis, but also the organizing strategies being used to fight it.
CES tenant leaders from Morton Gardens Apartments in Echo Park, in celebration of their recent US Court of Appeals victory protecting them from evictions and providing Section 8 tenant protections nationwide (see CES web site article), presented a skit reenacting their visit to their landlords' UCLA classroom to present this noted real estate professor an award of "Greediest Landlord in LA."
Ms. Rolnik acknowledged the work of various community organizations, saying, "I have seen a lot of struggle, a lot of solidarity, and a lot of mobilizing, and I am thinking that this is the way, this is the hope." Earlier in New York, she stated, "Housing is a human right. It is a constant fight, a constant struggle for people to get government to ensure their right to housing."
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UN Comes to CES Organized HUD Subsidized Building |
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The following day Ms. Rolnik's examination of the housing crisis in LA continued with a stop at La Villa Hermosa Apartments, a HUD subsidized housing complex in South LA. La Villa Hermosa CES tenant leaders have organized to preserve their homes. CES tenants spoke about the difficulty in obtaining needed repairs, the constant harassment from management in an effort to make them move, and how they have been fighting to stop the owners' attempt to remove the complex from the federal rent subsidy program. As if on cue, as tenants were presenting their stories on the sidewalk in front of the building, the building's resident manager appeared and began taking pictures of the tenants. Ms Rolnik immediately approached the manager to identify herself and explain that she had requested the tenants to gather.
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The visit ended with Ms. Rolnik being presented a CES T-shirt and button indicating that she was now an honorary CES member. Ms. Rolnik responded that she was "very proud to be an honorary CES member."
Ms. Rolnik will provide a report on her visit by the end of November, to the US government and the UN Human Rights Council. A final report to the UN General Assembly is planned for March 2010.
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The Team Responsible for the Tour's Success |
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In addition to CES, the other groups who worked hard in organizing the events in LA included LA Community Action Network (LACAN), Legal Aid Foundation of LA, LA Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness, POWER, Union de Vecinos, Coalition LA, Comunidad Presente, Lamp Community, Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County, Korean Immigrant Worker Alliance, Beyond Shelter, Esperanza Community Housing, St. John's Well Child Center, Skid Row Housing Trust, LA Neighborhood Housing Services Housing Long Beach, Black Mesa Indigenous Support and Eviction Defense Network.
Special thanks go out to CES Tenant Organizer Joel Montano for his hard work in organizing CES' participation and contribution to this event, and to Becky Dennison of LACAN whose tireless work as overall coordinator of the LA tour was a key to its success.
The national tour was coordinated by the New York-based National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI), a nonprofit organization that promotes a cultural and political commitment to a human rights vision that ensures dignity and access to basic resources in the US.
Click here for more pictures from the Town Hall Meeting and CES' organized site visit at La Villa Hermosa Apartments.
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| October 22, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| October/November, 2009 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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Will LA Rent Control Be Strengthened or Weakened?
Study Reveals That Rent Burden to Tenants Has Increased Significantly, While Landlords Profits Continue to Rise
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A recently released study documents that over half of LA City tenants living in rent controlled apartments are paying unaffordable rents, while landlords who own rent controlled apartments have seen their profits skyrocket.
The Study found that the LA City Rent Control law covers 66% of LA's inventory of rental units. However, the majority of LA renters are rent-burdened, paying over 30 percent of their income for rent, and roughly a third are severely rent-burdened, paying half or more of their income for rent.
Read more here
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Victory for Tenants & Affordable Housing
104-Unit Rent Controlled Apartment
Complex Denied Condo Conversion Approval |
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On October 13, 2009, the LA City Council unanimously voted to uphold the recommendation to deny a condominium conversion application of a 104-unit rent controlled apartment complex in Sherman Oaks.
The City Council vote marked the end of another chapter in an over decade-old fight with four different landlords to stop tenants from being displaced, and to prevent this affordable housing from being lost.
During this time, the tenants fought and won other landlords' attempts to evict them and/or raise their rents.
Finally, the tenants are able to celebrate. But, they know their landlord is unlikely to give up and the fight to save their homes will continue.
Read more here
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Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Governor Signs Two Important
Tenants' Rights Bills, But Vetoes Another |
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two important tenants' rights bills providing tenants across California a significant victory. Unfortunately, the Governor also vetoed a bill that would have provided needed protection for mobile home owners from greedy owners' attempts to convert their mobile home parks.
SB 290 (Leno - D - San Francisco) will make the 60-day notice requirement for no-fault evictions permanent.
SB 120 (Lowenthal - D - Long Beach) provides tenants increased protection against utility shutoffs, including tenants in single family homes.
Read more here
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LA City Tenant Foreclosure Eviction Law
Expected to be Extended |
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LA City President Eric Garcetti has introduced a motion to extend eviction protections to tenants living in foreclosed rent properties. On December 17, 2008, the City Council adopted the Foreclosure Eviction Ordinance to protect tenants living in rental properties not subject to the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance from eviction on the grounds of foreclosure. CES Executive Director Larry Gross was invited to the ordinance signing by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Council President Garcetti. This Ordinance, which is scheduled to sunset on December 23, 2009, prohibits lenders from evicting any tenants in the City merely because of foreclosure. Although the Rent Control law prohibited eviction of tenants merely due to foreclosure, prior to adoption of this Ordinance, no protection existed for tenants living in properties exempt from the RSO, including single-family homes. The ordinance is expected to be extended to December 31, 2010. |
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| Join CES' Tenant Leadership Council |
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Once you've become a CES member you are urged to become an active member by joining CES' Tenant Leadership Council.
The Tenant Leadership Council is where you, as a CES Member, can help CES determine issues to work on, get support from other tenants facing similar problems, strategize and develop solutions, build your skills, plan campaigns and, most important, help win economic justice.
Just click here, on the
CES Tenant Leadership Council Application Form.
Print it. Fill it out. And, send it back to CES. It's that easy.
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| October 09, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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VICTORY!!!
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The Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) scored a major tenants' rights victory when the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled in BARRIENTOS v. 1801-1825 MORTON LLC, that Los Angeles' rent control law is not preempted by federal laws or regulations.
The decision, which has a national impact, specially provides Section 8 tenants living at Morton Gardens Apartments in Echo Park protection against their landlord's attempt to evict them.
In ruling, the US Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, stated that a landlord subject to the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance ("LARSO") served notices of eviction upon tenants whose rent is subsidized by the federal government, because it desired to raise the rent on the apartment units. Though LARSO prohibits eviction for that purpose, Morton asserts that a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulation permits the eviction of an assisted tenant during the lease term for "good cause" grounds, which "may include [the] desire to lease the unit at a higher rental." We must decide whether HUD's "good cause" regulation preempts the operation of the City of Los Angeles's eviction control ordinance. We hold that it does not. We affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the tenants, permanent injunctive relief, and award of attorney's fees.
Legal Team Deserves Much Recognition & Appreciation
This victory is the direct result of the tireless work and deep commitment of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles Attorney Christian Abasto, Attorney Jim Grow, the nationally acclaimed subsidized housing legal expert with the Oakland-based National Housing Law Project and Attorney Michael Soloff, a partner in the powerful downtown law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson, who brilliantly argued the case before the 9th Circuit United States Court of Appeals on March 2, 2009.
City of LA and HUD Lent Support
The City of Los Angeles and HUD, as well as the AARP Foundation, filed amici curiae ("Friend of the Court") briefs in support of our case. LA City Council President Eric Garcetti, who represents the Morton Gardens tenants, provided important backing and helped in securing HUD's support.
CES' Long Efforts to Stop Evictions & Preserve This Affordable Housing
For more than the last 20 years, CES has been assisting these tenants' efforts to fight off evictions. Morton Gardens was developed in 1971 as a low-income rental housing project through a HUD subsidized mortgage-secured low interest loan program.
Morton Garden apartments is a 66-unit building which is situated just over a hill from Dodger Stadium in Echo Park.
In 1998 the prior owners prepaid the subsidized loan in advance of the original loan maturity date, thus removing the federal rent restrictions. As a result, tenants in residence received "enhanced" Section 8 rent subsidy vouchers, which entitled them the right to remain in their units, paying the same rent and requiring landlords to accept these vouchers as long as the tenants decide to stay and Congress provides the funding. In addition, other tenants holding regular Section 8 vouchers have since moved in.
In 2003, the City and the tenants had obtained an earlier ruling from the 9th Circuit Court that upheld the application of the City's rent control law to the units, rejecting the owner's claim that federal law "preempted" local rent protections.
Eric Sussman, who along with other partners bought the building for $8 million in 2006, is not just any landlord. He teaches real estate at one of the nation's preeminent business schools, the UCLA Anderson School of Management. CES and tenants have argued that he should have known when he bought Morton Gardens that Section 8 tenants lived there and it is unethical of him to try to evict them just to increase rents.
The Morton Garden case involves two related, but distinct, federal tenant-based housing subsidies: "enhanced Section 8 vouchers" and regular Section 8 "housing choice vouchers."
The landlord was challenging the Congressionally enacted right to remain for the enhanced voucher holders, as well as the applicability of the city's just cause eviction law, which protects Section 8 tenants living in rent controlled units. Tenant attorneys citywide have been defending tenants against a wave of 90-day Section 8 termination notices, arguing that a Section 8 contract cannot be terminated until there is a vacancy and there needs to be a "just cause" reason under the rent control law to evict a tenant to secure a vacancy.
In 2007, tenants, outraged by eviction notices they received, rode a school bus to UCLA to protest outside his class. They held signs, chanted and then presented Sussman with a ceramic piggy bank, an award as the "Greediest Landlord in L.A."
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To Read the landmark 9th Circuit United States Court of Appeals Decision that Protects Section 8 Tenants From Evictions and Finds that HUD regulations don't preempt local Rent Control Laws
Click Here
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(Right) CES member Dulce Pena, who lives at the Morton Gardens Apartments in Echo Park, hands UCLA Real Estate Professor Eric Sussman, her landlord, a ceramic pig award for the city's greediest landlord as Morton Garden children look on. On May 17, 2007, Morton Gardens tenants and supporters traveled to UCLA to confront their landlord outside his classroom. Tenants wore CES bright red T-shirts and hoisted signs telling Sussman he should be ashamed. In addition to presenting Sussman the piggy bank, they handed UCLA officials that were present a letter asking UCLA's chancellor to review Sussman's business practices.
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| September 04, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
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| September, 2009 |
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CES ACTION ALERT!
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| Significant Eviction Protections Could Depend On You Acting NOW! |
Calif Assembly Passed Bill to Make
60 Day Eviction Notice Permanent |
| Letters, Calls & Emails Needed NOW to Urge Governor to Sign the Bill! |
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Tenants scored a major victory on the Assembly Floor late Thursday, as 44 Democrats voted to send SB 290, authored by San Francisco state Senator Mark Leno, to the Governor's desk, to make permanent existing law that requires landlords to give tenants 60 days' notice when terminating a tenancy when the tenant is without fault.
The notice has been in state law for over six years, but the Realtors and landlord groups remain opposed. The 60 days enables tenants to hunt for affordable rentals, keep children in their schools and gives the elderly and disabled more time to find scarce accessible rentals.
If Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes SB 290, on January 1, 2010, the law would revert back to requiring landlords to provide only a 30 day eviction notice.
The Governor has signed one of the previous 60 day notice bills that included an expiration date. The challenge is to convince him that the 60-day notice has demonstrated its value, the landlord industry has proven no harm, and it should become permanent law.
To View the Assembly Vote, Click Here
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| TELL THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN THE 60 DAY EVICTION NOTICE BILL! |
| Contact Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to urge him to sign SB 290 (Leno), which will make permanent existing law that requires landlords to give tenants 60 days' notice when terminating a tenancy when the tenant is without fault. |
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Call, Email, Write, Fax:
Contact the Governor
Governor's Office
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
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To send an Electronic Mail please visit:
http://www.govmail.ca.gov |
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| July 20, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| July, 2009 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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Progressive Democrats Sell Out Mobile Home Owners
California Assembly Delivers Blow to Rent Control |
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Tenants' rights advocates were recently shocked when a bill, AB 761 (Calderon, D-Whittier), that would severely cripple all of California's over 100 local mobile-home rent control laws, passed the Assembly with the minimum votes needed. What was so shocking is that the bill only passed due to the support of a number of Los Angeles area progressive and liberal Democrats providing their support. |
| LA area Assembly Member Democrats Karen Bass, John Perez, Mike Davis, Anthony Portantino, Kevin De Leon and Ed Hernandez all voted for this horrendous anti-rent control bill. |
Read More Here
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| CES Issues Healthy Homes Report & Recommendations to Address Sub-Standard Housing Conditions |
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The Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) conducted a two-year campaign (February 2007 - May 2009) entitled the Healthy Household Environmental Actions for Tenants (HHEAT), which was funded by The California Endowment. This effort had the dual goal of organizing tenants in high-risk housing to ensure proper eradication of health hazards in their homes without losing their housing through landlord harassment or eviction; and to generate the necessary data and develop tenant leadership to advocate for improving local systems.
CES' HHEAT campaign produced a policy recommendation report which examines how the City and County of Los Angeles, together with the State and community-based organizations can advance the common vision of improving environmental health and housing conditions to ensure tenants safe, healthy and affordable housing.
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Read The Report Here |
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Tenants Appear to Have No Friends
in California Governor's Race |
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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed three pro-tenant ordinances designed to help renters facing hard times. He even nixed a relatively mild proposal to limit "banked" rent increases to 8%. Newsom's record on tenant issues in San Francisco has always been bad, and his latest act does not bode well for next year's statewide elections.
California's 14 million renters need a champion in the Governor's Mansion after six years of a hostile Republican Administration, but Newsom currently only has one opponent for the Democratic primary - state Attorney General Jerry Brown. Based on his record as Mayor of Oakland, Brown is no sure bet tenants' rights supporter. There is no excuse why California can't have a pro-tenant Governor.
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Read More Here
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| June 11, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| June, 2009 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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New Eviction Protections Won
Loopholes Allowing Landlord to Unjustly Evict Tenants Closed |
On June 9, 2009 the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted in favor of finalizing an ordinance that will provide tenants more eviction protections.
The measure will significantly close a loophole regarding evictions for "Good Faith," such as for owner move-ins and for moving in an owner's family member. This has been an area of extreme abuse and fraud resulting in many unjust evictions. |
Read More Here
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| California Assembly Member Dave Jones Visits Building & Discusses Code Violations with CES Tenant Leaders |
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Assembly Member Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) spent the morning of May 29, 2009 discussing the problems CES tenants leaders were facing at their building. The building, located in LA's Beverly/Normandie area, has been plagued with numerous housing code violations and has been in the city's Rent Escrow Account Program. Tenants have been battling the landlord to make the needed repairs and have had to fight against harassment and abuse. |
Read More Here
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Save Your City Web Site Set Up
to Fight State Budget Cuts |
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The League of California Cities, who CES worked closely with to defeat Proposition 98 (the statewide anti-rent control measure) last year, has launched a website to heighten awareness and generate interest on the damaging effects to vital city services, if the state takes city dollars to balance the California's budget. The web site is posting video messages to the Governor and state legislators. |
Read More Here
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Lead Hazard Remediation Won For Tenants
in East Hollywood Building |
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CES achieved a victory in securing safe, lead-free housing this month, as the LA Housing Department's Lead Hazard Remediation Program (LHRP) has approved the application for a building on Grace Street in East Hollywood to receive a grant for lead component removal.
LHRP provides grants for lead hazard remediation to be performed in buildings where there is positive levels of lead-based paint.
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Read More Here
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Tenants Win Again, As Planning Commission Denies
Landlord Condo Conversion Appeal |
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In March, we reported the Planning Department Advisory Committee voting to deny an application for a 104-unit condominium conversion in Sherman Oaks resulting in tenants saving their homes and affordable housing being preserved.
This victory was preserved on May 28, 2009 when the full Los Angeles Planning Commission upheld the Advisory Committee decision by denying the landlord's appeal.
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Read More Here
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| April 10, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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| April, 2009 - Number 2 |
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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| CES In The News > Los Angeles Times - Friday, April 10, 2009 |
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| April 10, 2009 |
Lancaster Proposes Limiting
Section 8 Housing
Amendments to the city's rental ordinance would allow business licenses to be withheld from landlords who want to rent to such tenants. Affordable housing advocates condemn the plan. |
By Ann Simmons |
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Determined to slash the number of Section 8 renters in Lancaster, officials are proposing amendments to the city's rental housing ordinance that would allow it to withhold business licenses from landlords who want to rent to low-income tenants with federal vouchers.
Officials contend that more than 2,300 residential units are occupied by Section 8 tenants in their city, about 12% of the total number of vouchers administered by the Housing Authority of Los Angeles County. The federal program provides rental subsidies for the needy.
"We would not give out any new licenses for Section 8" under the new ordinance, said Vice Mayor Ronald D. Smith. "We would at least like to stem the tide. All we want is a fair and equitable share."
Last year, Smith wrote to U.S. Congressmen Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), and Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), who represent the Antelope Valley, requesting help in appealing to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for approval to amend the city's business license ordinance for rental housing.
The amended ordinance would bar licenses to landlords who intend to rent residential property to Section 8 voucher-holders. It would not affect existing Section 8 landlords and tenants. Officials at the county's Housing Authority acknowledged that Lancaster is the city with the highest number of Section 8 contracts, out of the 20,095 federal contracts administered countywide. But they put the number at 2,100, or 10% of the county's contracts.
Maria Badrakhan, acting assistant executive director for the county's housing
authority, declined to comment on any potential legal implications regarding Lancaster's proposal. But, she said, "there are federal fair housing laws that need to be considered."
She also rebuffed allegations by Lancaster officials that her agency was actively encouraging Section 8 voucher holders to move to Lancaster, stressing that "federal law does not allow us to steer folks anywhere."
More than 100,000 people were on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers in L.A. County, Badrakhan said.
Lancaster was an attractive location, because of "the affordability, the quality of housing, and the willingness of landlords to participate in the [Section 8] program," she said.
Several affordable housing advocates and landlord associations condemned the city's proposal, particularly when the number of homeless in the county is estimated at about 73,000.
Lancaster's proposal is an "out-and-out attack on low-income people," said Larry Gross, executive director of the L.A.-based Coalition for Economic Survival, a tenants rights group. "They are putting up a sign on the borders of Lancaster saying that poor people are not welcome here."
James Clarke, executive director of the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, which represents about 25,000 owners and managers of rental properties, called Lancaster's proposal "outrageous."
He said the vacancy rate for rentals in L.A. County had risen to 8% from 3% in the last six months. "There are empty apartments, and landlords who want to fill these apartments would be more than willing to rent to Section 8, because they are guaranteed the rent," Clarke said.
Lindsey Mask, Rep. McKeon's communications director, said in a written response that the congressman had asked HUD "to look into giving the city of Lancaster more flexibility in certifying which property owners are allowed to rent their property to Section 8 voucher tenants."
Nick Bouknight, a spokesman for Rep. McCarthy, said that McCarthy was also helping Lancaster to "research options so that they can find the best course of action that works for our neighborhoods. "
Norm Hickling, L.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's field deputy for the Antelope Valley, said that the county would not support any program specifically targeting the business licenses of potential Section 8 landlords.
Smith, Lancaster's vice mayor, said the large numbers of foreclosures in the city had resulted in potential investors snapping up these properties and converting them to Section 8 rentals. The increase in federal voucher tenants has placed a large burden on the city's social services and contributed to crime, he said.
"While the intent of Section 8 was well-meaning, it is a failed program," Smith said. "It has turned into an abused system. We are trying to clean up the program so that our neighborhoods are safe."
Meanwhile, the city is also considering making Section 8 landlords pay for expenses incurred for policing their rentals units. And investigators would start tracking Section 8 renters who break the rules of their contracts, and push for their vouchers to be revoked, officials said.
"If you use Section 8 for what it was intended for, and you want to come to Lancaster, that's fine," Smith said. If not, "we're going to track you down, we're going to find you, and we're going to send you packing."
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| EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE TO LANCASTER CITY OFFICIALS |
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Contact City of Lancaster Officials and Demand That They Reverse Their Outrageous Discriminatory New Policy That is a Direct Attack on Low-Income Tenants
Just earlier in the week, in opposing a prison facility, Lancaster city officials outrageously equate low income Section 8 tenants with parolees and juvenile probationers, such as sex offender and ex-gang members.
In another L.A. Times article, the following, "But Lancaster officials argue that the Antelope Valley is already home to some of the highest per-capita concentrations of parolees, juvenile probationers and federal Section 8 housing recipients in Los Angeles County."
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| Call and Email the Lancaster Mayor and City Council: |
| City Council & Mayor Phone: 661-723-6019 |
Mayor R. Rex Parris - Email: rrparris@cityoflancasterca.org
Vice Mayor Ronald D. Smith - Email: rdsmith@cityoflancasterca.org
Council Member Ed Sileo - Email: esileo@cityoflancasterca.org
Council Member Ken Mann - Email: kmann@cityoflancasterca.org
Council Member Sherry Marquez - Email: smarquez@cityoflancasterca.org
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| March 30, 2009 |
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Coalition for Economic Survival
CES Organizing Times Online
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An occassional email newsletter reporting on the
activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) |
April 2009 |
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Congressional Hearings Held in L.A.
to Address the Area's Housing Crisis |
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On a beautiful sunny Los Angeles spring day, hundreds of people packed the Los Angeles Southwest College gymnasium on Saturday, March 28, 2009, to hear about the gloomy forecast tenants and homeowners face.
The occasion was a Congressional field hearing of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, chaired by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).. Rep. Waters was joined by Rep. Dianne Watson (D-CA).
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Reps. Maxine Waters (D-LA) and Diane Watson
preside over the Congressional housing hearing. |
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The purpose of the hearing was to examine public and affordable housing needs in Los Angeles specifically, foreclosures, HUD subsidized housing, Section 8 rental subsidies and public housing.
Congresswoman Waters said: "Families need stable housing, and during times of economic downturn, many people feel particularly vulnerable and anxious about their housing. I organized this hearing to bring together those hurt in the housing crisis and those who can help, and to help guide Congress as we take the next steps to help keep families in their homes and mortgage predators out of the markets."
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CES Executive Director testifying at the Congressional
housing hearing (from left to right): Susie Shannon,
Housing Advocate, LA Coalition to End Hunger and
Homelessness; Larry Gross, and Minelle Johnson,
a LA Section 8 voucher recipient. |
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One of those invited to testify by Rep. Waters was CES Executive Director Larry Gross. In response to the large number of tenants being evicted by banks foreclosing on multi-family rental properties, Gross told the committee: "Tenants who pay rent on time - have done nothing wrong, but now their lives are totally up-ended. Because banks just want them out. Yet, these banks had no problem begging Congress to bail them out with hundreds of billions of dollars - paid for by these tenants and other taxpayers. These banks should be prohibited from unfairly evicting the people who are paying for their corporate welfare."
Gross urged Congress to provide more funds to renew all project-based Section 8 contracts and Section 8 voucher contracts, provide additional Section 8 vouchers and support HUD tenant organizing, as well as to clarify HUD regulations to allow state and local governments to enact laws to provide additional protections, such as for evictions, to tenants living in government assisted housing.
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Congresswoman Maxine Waters takes a moment to talk with CES representatives at the Congressional hearing (from left to right): CES Tenant Organizer Joel Montano, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, CES Van Nuys Apartments tenant leader James "Doc" Bethard, CES Executive Director Larry Gross, CES Turner Apartments tenant leader and Rep. Waters' constituent Bertha Scott. |
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The CES HUD and Section 8 tenants attending the hearing came from Morton Gardens Apartments (Echo Park), La Villa Hermosa (South LA), Turner Apartments (South LA) and Van Nuys Apartments (Downtown LA).
Other allied groups turning out their members or having representatives attend included LA Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, LACAN, POWER, Unión de Vecinos, ACORN, SAJE, Public Counsel, Legal Aid Foundation of LA, Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County and SCANPH.
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Congressional
Housing Hearing |
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Giant Sign Outside LA Southwest College announces the Congressional housing hearing.
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| CES HUD Subsidized & Section 8 Voucher Tenant Leaders Attend Cong. Housing Hearing |
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Turner Apartments tenants (l-r):
Bertha Scott & Gray Scott
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Morton Gardens Apartments Tenants (l-r):
Dulce Pena & Bertha Cardenas
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La Villa Hermosa Apartments tenants (l-r):
Donald Jackson, Lois Lavan, Homer Neal
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| Click Here to read CES' testimony given to Congressional Housing Subcommittee |
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