Eviction Disease
By Erin
Grayson
The failure to preserve
EXISTING rent controlled affordable housing has caused higher rents on the fewer
available units. The out of control Real-Estate market drives up inflation,
reduces job opportunities for the middle class because employers want to invest
in cities where the employees could at least afford to rent an apartment or buy
a home. This runaway locomotive has caused more homeless on the streets adding
to the 80,000 + homeless population here in LA many of these new homeless are
seniors on a fixed income who cannot spend a 700 dollar a month pension entirely
on rent. The waiting list for senior housing is from 4-8 years in different
parts of LA. How would you feel if this was your own grandmother dealing with
the threat of sheriffs banging on their door and forcing them onto the street.
This situation is really bad for seniors, students, middle class, jobs,
inflation, traffic, smog, environment and the weather. Air flow throughout the
city is being clogged.
Yes, build new condos and apartments along
transportation corridors but not near the ocean where the main source of fresh
air for the entire city would be blocked from high rises along the Lincoln
Boulevard traffic corridor. Traffic corridor because there is currently no
sufficient public transportation along Lincoln to justify the density bonuses
developers are receiving from the city. That is putting the cart before the
horse. Developers are not doing the residents any favors by evicting them from
rent controlled homes to more expensive and smaller units in another part of the
city. Many of these disposable tenants are now commuting and adding more traffic
to the freeways, boulevards and side streets.
Lincoln Place is a model for airflow
between buildings and instead of tearing it down to build market rate new
housing it can be used as an example of utilizing the fresh air and sunshine of
Southern California that everyone is moving here for. It has also been an
example of high density for 55 years with almost 800 original units on 38 acres
of land. The surrounding single family homes provide a fraction of that amount
of dwellings per acre. Lincoln Place is also an example of shared open space for
entire communities to gather and enjoy the outdoors. At Lincoln Place the
community had several areas such as the laundry rooms and clothes lines where
people could air dry their clothes and save energy, the mailboxes situated under
55 year old trees also provided a place to gather. This is not Paris, New York,
or Chicago and the architects and designers where aware of
this.
Los Angeles is a lonely city when
all you know day by day is a small apartment, sitting in a car in traffic and a
cubicle in an office. Lincoln Place is now three times confirmed a California
State Historical Resource and hopefully soon City of Los Angeles and National
Resource. There needs to be more incentive for private owners to preserve our
public history. Lincoln Place is a prime example of the vision of the great
Modernist Movement where the connection of indoors and outdoors, humans and
Mother Nature was fully realized. Many Lincoln Place tenants also grew their own
vegetables in the gardens.
There needs
to be a governmental policy that encourages apartment owners to continue a high
standard of maintenance, provide new sources of energy such as solar panels
& rain water receptacles, decrease the space needed for parking and increase
the amount of green space. New developments would not need so much space for
parking if we had the infrastructure of public transportation up and running.
The government must acquire the resources to make it happen all over the city
not just with one line. This is the first step in creating a ribbon city. It is
not development that is the problem it is how the development is occurring with
out social conscience and thought for the existing affordable housing stock that
provides homes for those who would otherwise become homeless. I was homeless for
two months during the holidays before I could find a home. My new home is
smaller and far less community oriented. There is more pavement and less green
space. It would be a shame to see LA become a Paris or New York. I have lived in
both cities and felt claustrophobic and unable to breathe the air in both. The
city government and developers are helping build this city up as fast as they
can with out the care and thought that went into older cities like Paris. Look
at the metro system there. Not just the facades. Look at the parks that are so
large you could literally get lost in them. That is suggested and hinted at but
I see only taller buildings with smaller units and more profits for the city
(attorney) Rocky Delgadillo and developers.
It is so obvious when developers show
up on the list of campaign contributors that the politicians and land use
entitlement speculators are working together to pave over this entire country.
It is also perfectly clear when you look at the rights of land owners and
tenants and see that there a far fewer rights for tenants. And when you actually
test those few protections for tenants in a court of law they are ignored or
reinterpreted in favor of the landlord (quite possibly because many judges are
landlords themselves).
The Ellis Act
does not provide nearly enough money for a normal person with out disability or
senior status and I have kept the receipts to prove it and will be glad to
provide copies of those receipts to anyone that can use it. In the case of
Lincoln Place the Ellis Act has also trumped any of the protections for tenants
while continuing to allow land use entitlements for the land owner. This is just
dead wrong.
Where is the Mayor? How
could he allow such obvious gaining of the LA City governmental system. You have
heard us speak about this on many occasions. When will you take action? Eminent
domain for the PEOPLE, for the EARTH for the ENVIRONMENT. Lincoln Place can be
an example world wide on green housing that helps preserve the fragile ecosystem
on this planet. It has set a precedent for positive actions on the part of the
government for the people, let’s make sure that it continues to set that
example.
I urge you to take serious
and bold action immediately. Eminent Domain before more funds are wasted in
litigation.
Posted: Thu - June 1, 2006 at 01:05 PM