Vote No On Prop 98 (San Francisco, Santa Monica: section 8, real estate, foreclosure)

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

I have to say, you are clearly a property owner. This is what landlords have successfully done by incorporating benefits for themselves and screwing tenants all in one nice neat little proposition. They have pitted landowners against tenants and that is unspeakable. First, if rent control is abolished, what most people will automatically see is a 30% - 40% increase in their rent. Think it won't happen, move to most areas in Los Angeles that do not have rent control and see the kind of rents landlords impose, especially if they want to force people out they don't like. Prop 98 will eliminate many tenant rights, there is no question. Read closely about Prop 98. The problem is, apartment dwellers are always considered third class citizens that no one cares about. It truly gives these wealthy landlords carte blanche and we are already paying too much for crappy apartments in this city.

Yes... I bought my first home while I was working my way through college with money I had saved from working nights and weekends behind the counter at a auto parts store...

I got the job because I was always working on cars and was a regular customer... at age 14, the owner offered me the job and a discount on any parts I bought ... anyway, My 18 year old brother and I purchased a seriously dilapidated 2 bedroom cottage in East Oakland because I didn't like the idea of paying rent and having nothing to show for it at the end of the month.

Back to the questions you raised...

First, if rent control is abolished, No One will automatically see is a 30% - 40% increase in their rent... it can't happen because Prop 98 protection ONLY starts after a rent controlled unit is vacated.

Second, as a group, Mom and Pop small owners make up the vast majority of rental property owners... Most owners own 4 units or less and many own 2 or less.

Third... Renters are not "Third Class Citizens" in any manner... each citizen only as one vote... If Tenants are viewed differently at all it is because Tenants generally move 3 times as often as home owners and this freedom to move is the reason many choose to rent.

Fourth... Prop 98 is a property rights initiative put on the California Ballot by voters in response to the Supreme Court's Kelo decision on "Takings" of private property for private use... Rent Control is "Taking" just as is Eminent Domain. You mention comparable non-rent controlled units cost much more in areas without Rent Control... this is EXACTLY the "Taking" Prop 98 addresses.

Rent Control is fundamentally flawed as a means to help poor people because Rent Control applies to the rental without regard to a Tenants financial situation... It matters not if the person renting is wealthy or poor... HUD has numerous programs to help poor, elderly and disabled find housing and paid for by every tax payer... not just those that own Rental Property.

Prop 98 protects and is endorsed by a wide coalition of property owners... Farms, Churches, Home Owners and Business.

Property Ownership is open to anyone willing to "Buy In" and make the sacrifices necessary. Private Property... the Right to Private Property is one of the founding principals of our country... you don't need to come from Nobility to own land in the USA... only the desire and hard work.

We may agree to disagree... but through these Forums, everyone has the opportunity to express their views.

[SandyCo]

Shall we show a list of who is opposed to Prop 98, Ultrarunner?

Public Officials

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Former Governor of California Pete Wilson
Speaker of the House, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco)
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
U.S. Representative George Radanovich (R-Mariposa)
California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer
Patricia Wiggins - California State Senator
Lloyd Levine - California State Assembly Member
Fran Pavley - Former California State Assemblymember

Good Government

League of Women Voters of California

Water

Association of California Water Agencies
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Friant Water Users Authority
San Diego County Water Authority
Castaic Lake Water Agency
El Dorado Irrigation District
Friends of Locally Owned Water (FLOW)
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
Newhall County Water District
Soquel Creek Water District
South San Joaquin Irrigation District
Turlock Irrigation District
Vallecitos Irrigation District
Vista Irrigation District


Business

California Chamber of Commerce
California Building Industry Association
California Black Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce
Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA)
Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California (CELSOC)
California Mexican American Chamber of Commerce
El Monte/South El Monte Chamber of Commerce
San Gabriel Valley Legislative Coalition of Chambers
South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce
Santa Fe Springs Chamber Alliance
Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce
Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce
Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce
Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Los Altos Chamber of Commerce
Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Mountain View Chamber of Commerce
Napa Chamber of Commerce
Petaluma Chamber of Commerce
Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce
Richmond Chamber of Commerce
Salinas Chamber of Commerce
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce
Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce
Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce
Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce
California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB)


Senior

AARP
California Alliance for Retired Americans
Older Women's League of California
Gray Panthers California
California Senior Advocates League
Congress of California Seniors
San Francisco Gray Panthers
Senior Action Network
Senior Council


Infrastructure

California Transportation Commission
Transporatation Agency for Monterey County
California Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers


Consumer

Consumer Federation of California
Consumers Coalition of California


Public Safety

California Professional Firefighters
California Police Chiefs Association
California Fire Chiefs Association
Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC)
San Francisco Black Firefighters Inc.


Agriculture

Western Growers Association
Nisei Farmers League
Grower Shipper Association of Central California
American Farmland Trust


Education

California Teachers Association
California School Boards Association
Association of California School Administrators
United Teachers Los Angeles
Santa Monica Community College District


Renter Advocates/Housing Providers

Housing California
California Housing Consortium (CHC)
California Coalition for Rural Housing
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Coalition for Economic Survival
Coalition to Protect California Renters
Tenants Together
Eviction Defense Collaborative
California Council for Affordable Housing
Mercy Housing California
Affordable Housing Coalition of San Diego
Coalition L.A.
Coalition to Save Parkmerced
Community Housing Partnership
Concilio de Inquilinos: Local 1012
Council of Tenants- Los Angeles
EAH Housing
Eviction Defense Network
First Community Housing
Housing Justice Campaign
Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
Housing Rights Center
Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco
Housing Rights, Inc.
Inquilinos Unidos
Just Cause Oakland
Lincoln Place Tenants Association
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Los Angeles Rent Adjustment Commission
Novato Housing Coalition
Oakland Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board
Oakland Tenants Union
Parkmerced Residents' Organization
Rural California Housing Corporation
Sacramento Housing Alliance
Sacramento Mutual Housing Association
St. Peter's Housing Committee
San Diego Housing Federation
San Diego Renters Union
San Francisco Council of Community Housing Organizations
San Francisco Tenants Union
Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights
Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing
Tenant Associations Coalition of San Francisco
Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC)
Venice Community Housing Corporation


Homeowners

League of California Homeowners
Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League, Inc. (GSMOL)
California Mobile Homes Resource and Action Association
Coalition of Mobile Home Owners- California
Resident Owned Parks, Inc. (ROP)
Alta Laguna Mobile Home Park Residents Committee
American Canyon Manufactured Home Owners Coalition
Butte County Mobile-Home Owners Association
CMRAA/Cal Hawaiian Home Owners Association
Contempo Marin Homeowners Association
County Mobilehome Positive Action Committee
EMPAC (Escondito Mobile/ Manufactured Home Positive Action Committee)
GSMOL Chapter 1613
GSMOL Chapter 1539
GSMOL Chapter 1517
GSMOL Chapter 1279
GSMOL Chapter 1200
GSMOL Chapter 820
GSMOL Chapter 708
GSMOL Chapter 161
Hayward Mobilehome Owners Association
Home Owners Acting Together H.A.T.
Homeowners Association of Cameron Mobile Estates
Los Rancheros Association, Inc.
Mobile Home Owners Coalition
Mobile Parks West Homeowners Association
Mobilehome Residents Alliance of Nevada County
Monarch Country Mobile Home Owners Association
Mountain Springs Homeowners Association
Neighborhood Friends
New Frontier Homeowner Association
Oceanside Manufactured Homes Association
Palos Verdes Shores Homeowners Association
Portola Heights Homeowners Association
San Lorenzo Mobile Home Park Homeowners' Association
San Marcos Mobilehome Residents Association
San Rafael Mobile Home Estates Homeowners Association
Santa Ana Mobile Home Owners Association
Sonoma County Mobilehome Owners Association
Sonoma No Condo Conversion Coalition


Environmental

National Wildlife Federation
Audubon California
California League of Conservation Voters
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club California
California Coastal Commission
Trust for Public Land
California Council of Land Trusts
California Park and Recreation Society
Wild Heritage Planners
Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental Defense
Center for Biological Diversity
Planning and Conservation League
Endangered Habitats League
LandWatch Monterey County
Save the Bay
California Oak Foundation
Greenbelt Alliance
Healthy Homes Collaborative
Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government
The Nature Conservancy
Pacific Forest Trust
Peninsula Open Space Trust
San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, Inc.
Sonoma County Conservation Action


Faith

Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California
California Church Impact
LA Voice - Pico
Marin Interfaith Worker Justice
St. Anthony Foundation
Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry Action Network, CA
California Interfaith Power and Light


Public Interest/Community

California ACORN
Western Center on Law and Poverty
California Partnership
California Alliance
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy
National Lawyers Guild
Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment
Accountable Development Coailtion
American Civil Liberties Union, Northern California
American Civil Liberties Union, Southern California
Progressive Jewish Alliance
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Southern California Chapter National Lawyers Guild- Los Angeles
Friends Committee on Legislation of California
Accountable Development Coalition
ArtsCorpsLA
Asian Law Caucus
Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
California Association of Human Relations Organizations
Californians for Justice
California Immigrant Policy Center
Centro Legal De La Raza
Charles Houston Bar Association
Chinese for Affirmative Action
Community Advocacy Center
Community United Against Violence
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
East Bay Aliance for a Sustainable Economy
Equal Justice Society
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Greenlining Institute
Human Care Alliance
Impact Fund
Inner City Law Center
La Raza Centro Legal
Law Center for Families
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness
Los Angeles Community Action Network
Los Angeles Community Legal Center and Educational
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Los Angeles Metropolitan Alliance
Mexican American Bar Association
Miracle Mile Action Committee
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Youth Law
National Latina/o Law Student Association
Oakland ACORN
One Stop Immigration Counselor
Online Policy Group
Our City
People's CORE
People Organized for Westside Renewal (POWER)
Pride at Work San Francisco
Public Advocates
P.U.E.B.L.O.
Rainbow - PUSH
Public Counsel
San Francisco Human Rights Commision
San Francisco Planning and Urban
Research Association (SPUR)
Union de Vecinos
Valley Women's Club


Tax

San Diego County Taxpayers Association
California Tax Reform Association


Labor

California Labor Federation
SEIU California State Council
State Building and Construction Trades Council
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
National Organization of Legal Services Workers NOLSW, UAW Local 2320, AFL-CIO
(AFSCME) Los Angeles Retiree Chapter 36
(AFSCME) Chapter 2712
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
San Francisco Labor Council
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance
Marin County Building and Construction Trades Council
People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER)
Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 159
Ethnic
National Coalition of Hispanic Organizations
Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic Renaissance CDC
South Asian Network
Health
California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies
Mental Health Association in California
Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles
National Health Law Program
AIDS Legal Referral Panel

Women

California National Organization for Women
California Women's Agenda
Center for Young Wonen's Development

Political

California Democratic Party
Democratic Women's Club
Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
Arroyo Democratic Club
Burbank Democratic Club
Democrats of Pasadena Foothills
Democratic Club of Santa Maria Valley
Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club
Santa Monica Democratic Club
Women Democrats of Placer County
ACT

Associations

League of California Cities
California State Association of Counties
California Special Districts Association
California Association of Councils of Government
California Chapter of the American Planning Association
California Redevelopment Association
San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG)
San Diego Association of Governmetns (SANDAG)

Newspaper Editorials

Los Angeles Times
San Diego Union Tribune
San Francisco Chronicle
Fresno Bee Riverside
Riverside Press Enterprise
Bakersfield Californian
Oakland Tribune
San Bernardino Sun
Contra Costa Times
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Lompoc Record
North County Times
Pasadena Star News
San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
San Luis Obispo Tribune
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Tulare Advance Register
Visalia Times Delta
Vacaville Reporter
Whittier Daily News
Woodland Daily Democrat
San Mateo County Times
Pasadena Weekly
Freemont Argus
Hayward Daily Review
Tri-Valley Herald
Alameda Times-Star
San Diego City Beat

[Ultrarunner]

Thanks for posting the list of those opposed to Prop 98...

The list of those in favor of Prop 98 is also quite impressive in additon to the 1000's of California Voters that signed the petition to bring Prop 98 before the voters...

Californians for Property Rights Protection is a coalition of homeowners, family farmers, small business owners, and other property owners (small and large) led by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, and The California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights. Add your name to our list of supporters, join our coalition.

SUPPORTERS (partial list)


Property Rights Organizations

California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights

Californians United for Redevelopment Education, Orange County

Californians for Property Rights

Grantville Action Group

Property Owners Association of Riverside County

Property Rights Alliance

Sonoma County Land Rights Coalition


Taxpayer Groups


California Republican Taxpayers Association

California Taxpayer Protection Committee

Central Solano Citizen/Taxpayer Group

Contra Costa Taxpayers Association

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

Inland Empire Taxpayers Association

League of Placer County Taxpayers

National Tax Limitation Committee

National Taxpayers Union

Sacramento County Taxpayers League

San Diego Tax Fighters

Shasta County Taxpayers Association

Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association

Sonoma County Taxpayers Association

Sutter County Taxpayers Association

Ventura County Taxpayers Association

Yolo County Taxpayers Association


Faith Based

Capitol Resource Family Impact

Victory Chapel, San Bernardino


Political

California Federation of Republican Women

California Republican Party
California Libertarian Party

Orange County Lincoln Club

Riverside County Libertarian Party


Agriculture

California Canning Peach Association

California Bean Shippers Association

California Dairies, Inc.

California Farm Bureau Federation

California Grain and Feed Association

California Pear Growers Association

Fresno Cooperative Raisin Growers, Inc.

Inyo Mono County Farm Bureau

Kern County Farm Bureau

Al Montna, Montna Farms

Mariposa County Farm Bureau

Modoc County Farm Bureau

Nevada County Farm Bureau

Pacific Egg and Poultry Association

Sacramento County Farm Bureau

San Diego County Farm Bureau

San Luis Obispo Farm Bureau

Siskiyou County Farm Bureau

Tulare County Farm Bureau


Business

California Association of REALTORS

California Business Alliance

California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

Small Business Action Committee

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

Contra Costa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Nicaraguan American Chamber of Commerce, Northern California

National Federation of Independent Business

Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce

San Mateo County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Salvadorian American Chamber of Commerce

Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce


Housing Providers

Apartment Association, California Southern Cities

Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA)

Apartment Owner Association of California (AOA)

Berkeley Property Owners Association

California Housing Providers Coalition

California Mobilehome Parkowners Alliance

Manufactured Housing Educational Trust

Manufactured Housing Institute

Orange County Apartment Association

Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association


Local Governments

City of Rancho Santa Margarita

City of Westminster

Orange County Board of Supervisors


Elected Officials - Statewide

Senator Jim Battin

Senator Dave Cox

Senator Jeff Denham

Senator Bob Dutton

Senator Tom Harman

Senator Dennis Hollingsworth

Senator Bob Margett

Senator Tom McClintock

Senator George Runner

Assemblymember Joel Anderson

Assemblymember John J. Benoit

Assemblymember Chuck DeVore

Assemblymember Ted Gaines

Assemblymember Bonnie Garcia

Assemblymember Guy Houston

Assemblymember Bob Huff

Assemblymember Doug La Malfa

Assemblymember Bill Maze

Assemblymember Sharon Runner

Assemblymember Jim Silva

Assemblymember Audra Strickland

Assemblymember Van Tran

Assemblymember Mimi Walters

Bill Leonard, Board of Equalization


Elected Officials - Local

Stephen Atchley, Pomona City Council

Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe City Council

Jack Fuller, Oceanside City Council

Kevin Hanley, Auburn City Council

Diane Harkey, Dana Point City Council

Calvin Hinton, Pacifica City Council

Sue Horne, Nevada County Board of Supervisors

Bruce Kranz, Placer County Board of Supervisors

Dan Logue, Yuba County Board of Supervisors

Jack Lynch, Angels Camp City Council

Roberta MacGlashan, Sacramento Board of Supervisors

Jeff Miller, Corona City Council

John Nicoletti, Yuba County Board of Supervisors

Chris Norby, Orange County Board of Supervisors

Bill Campbell, Orange County Board of Supervisors

Brian Oneto, Amador County Board of Supervisors

Curt Pringle, Anaheim City Council

Gail Reavis, Mission Viejo City Council

David Sanders, Rancho Cordova City Council

Neil Blais, Rancho Santa Margarita City Council

Leo Trujillo, Santa Maria City Council

Robert Twist, San Marino City Council

Kurt Vander Weide, Turlock City Council

Kim Dolbow Vann, Colusa County Board of Supervisors

Larry Wahl, Chico City Council

Marie Waldron, Escondido City Council

Eric Ziedrich, Healdsburg City Council

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Leave if its so bad.

Clearly another rich, snooty and selfish landowner.

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

Yes... I bought my first home while I was working my way through college with money I had saved from working nights and weekends behind the counter at a auto parts store...

I got the job because I was always working on cars and was a regular customer... at age 14, the owner offered me the job and a discount on any parts I bought ... anyway, My 18 year old brother and I purchased a seriously dilapidated 2 bedroom cottage in East Oakland because I didn't like the idea of paying rent and having nothing to show for it at the end of the month.

Back to the questions you raised...

First, if rent control is abolished, No One will automatically see is a 30% - 40% increase in their rent... it can't happen because Prop 98 protection ONLY starts after a rent controlled unit is vacated.

Second, as a group, Mom and Pop small owners make up the vast majority of rental property owners... Most owners own 4 units or less and many own 2 or less.

Third... Renters are not "Third Class Citizens" in any manner... each citizen only as one vote... If Tenants are viewed differently at all it is because Tenants generally move 3 times as often as home owners and this freedom to move is the reason many choose to rent.

Fourth... Prop 98 is a property rights initiative put on the California Ballot by voters in response to the Supreme Court's Kelo decision on "Takings" of private property for private use... Rent Control is "Taking" just as is Eminent Domain. You mention comparable non-rent controlled units cost much more in areas without Rent Control... this is EXACTLY the "Taking" Prop 98 addresses.

Rent Control is fundamentally flawed as a means to help poor people because Rent Control applies to the rental without regard to a Tenants financial situation... It matters not if the person renting is wealthy or poor... HUD has numerous programs to help poor, elderly and disabled find housing and paid for by every tax payer... not just those that own Rental Property.

Prop 98 protects and is endorsed by a wide coalition of property owners... Farms, Churches, Home Owners and Business.

Property Ownership is open to anyone willing to "Buy In" and make the sacrifices necessary. Private Property... the Right to Private Property is one of the founding principals of our country... you don't need to come from Nobility to own land in the USA... only the desire and hard work.

We may agree to disagree... but through these Forums, everyone has the opportunity to express their views.

Thank you for your reply. Again, landlords have squeezed this into a Proposition that if passed, will clearly screw apartment renters and benefit property owners. It is underhanded and dirty, but that is just the way it is.
As an apartment renter, I will agree, I have moved just about every 1.5 year for the last five years. Not out of choice, but because landlords in this city are scum. They charge overpriced rents for dumps and play silly mind games with tenants and disrespect them when they are paying them $2,000 - $3,000 a month for apartments not worth anything near that.

Believe me, I would love to own property. However, I am not paying $1 million for a 60 year-old home in the heart of Culver City which needs another $20,000 to $30,000 in repair. Real estate is just a crime here and for those of us trapped into living in apartments, I see no reason for us to be screwed any longer.

I have to correct you. There are many hidden agendas in Prop 98 which will render apartment dwellers almost helpless, not to mention, hopeless. And yes, apartment dwellers are considered "third class citizens" otherwise the initiatives in Prop 98 would have never made it in there in the first place.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

Clearly another rich, snooty and selfish landowner.

I don't own a damn thing.

[mommabear2]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

Yes, please vote Yes on Prop 98 if you don't care that renters like me will never be able to move out of our rent-controlled apartments! I've already been trapped here for eleven years; what's another 30 or 40, right?

If you live in Los Angeles... once you move out of your rent controlled apartment you have to go to a market rate unit even if prop 98 DIDN'T pass. Does that make sense? So, you'd have to pay market rate regardless... but rent control would not apply to the new unit I guess.

[mommabear2]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Leave if its so bad.

I agree. There are other places in the world that are more affordable in L.A. and it's NOT going to get any cheaper here. Rent control is government assistance and if I have to have this in order to live some place... then I wouldn't live there at all - I don't care how good the weather is...

[BRinSM]

I think many of you are not understanding the economic impact of removing rent control. Rent control is a social program much like welfare, medicare, unemployment, food stamps, etc. There is a reason these programs are in place, to keep the economy running. When these programs cease to exist, the poor who use these programs have even less money for their daily needs then they had before, which actually is a bad thing for the economy as a whole. If you know anything about Keynesian Theory, you know that there is a mulitplier effect in the economy. In other words, for each dollar spent, a multiple of that dollar is infused into the economy. So logically, we can say that each dollar that is taken away from renters is compounded throughout the economy. If renters are spending more of their income on rents, they have less money for food, clothing and other products or services that would be purchased with disposable income. This would in turn decrease revenues of businesses. When the revenues of businesses decrease, they have to cut back on expenses which usually includes downsizing and lowering their payroll. When people don't have jobs, people can't afford their rent and they go looking for jobs elsewhere.

The other thing about rent control is that it has secondary impacts on landlords as well. Rental properties that fall under rent control restrictions decrease the value of the property. Also, landlords who own these types of buildings build rent control into their prices. Take for instance Santa Monica. There are people in my building who have been there for over 30 years. They probably pay well under $1000 for a two bedroom apartment. I pay nearly double this for a one bedroom. Unfortunately, supply is so tight that it drives up market rates in Santa Monica so that landlords can charge these exuberant rent amounts to people like me in order to make up for the "lost" rent from tenants who pay highly discounted rates.

Bottom line, capitalist economies need all sorts of workers, from the low class all the way up to the super rich. Removing income from the lower classes is bad for the economy, if you don't believe me, go to Mexico and see the amount of poverty that exists there. Better yet, visit Detroit and see what a city looks like when its economy can't support its population.

[northbayeric]

Left entirely out of this discussion is the horrible effect Proposition 98 would have on mobile home owners like myself who live in a mobile home park. 98 would toss out rent control not only for apartment tenants who have the freedom to say "the heck with these ridiculous rents" once the lease is up, but also for those of us who own our mobile homes BUT NOT THE SPACES THEY ARE ON.

The real estate market here in the north San Francisco Bay Area is so bad already that I've had my manufactured house up for sale since this past November. Hardly anyone has come over to look inside it. If Proposition 98 is passed, my house is rendered virtually worthless. I would have to sell it for a few pennies on the dollar with all the foreclosures on regular tract homes around here.

Believe me, my wife and I are JONESING to get the (expletive) out of California and move out of state. Prop 98 would trap us here even longer, or as I've just said, I would have to take an enormous loss on our house because the new owner would have to pay house payments PLUS a ridiculous space rent PLUS annual property taxes.

I love the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, but on this issue they are dead wrong. It is as if mobile home park residents don't even exist as far as the discussion on 98 is concerned, and it's really starting to wear thin on me.

Reject 98, support 99, then come back with an eminent domain proposition in 2010 with teeth in it that doesn't hurt mobile home owners.