TENANTS MAY GET AID UNDER CONDO PLAN.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer Under increasing pressure to slow the loss of affordable rentals, several City Council members have drafted recommendations designed to protect tenants, including paying them more if they're evicted to make way for condominiums. The City Council's Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee will consider the recommendations today. Tenants' rights groups said the recommendations are a good start, but don't do enough to slow the loss of low-cost rental apartments. ``What they're really saying is, we're going to sit around and watch the crisis get worse and maybe give some benefit to those who are victims, but we're really not going to do anything to slow it down or address the loss of all these affordable units,'' said Larry Gross Larry Gross is an American screenwriter and producer. Among other projects, he rewrote Ralph Bakshi's Cool World for Frank Mancuso Jr. (without even telling Bakshi prior to the rewrite), though Mark Victor and Michael Grais (who rewrote Gross's draft) got writing credit in , executive director for the Coalition for Economic Survival, which wants a moratorium A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law. on condo conversions Generally stated, a condo conversion is a process of entitling an income property or other lands currently held under one title to convert from sole ownership of the entire property (which often already is a multi unit property) into individual for sale units. . Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. has lost more than 11,000 rent-controlled units during the past five years, as developers evict tenants to make way for new or converted condo complexes. Middle-class and gentrifying communities -- such as Valley Village, Studio City and Koreatown -- have seen hundreds of residents evicted to make way for condos. During three hearings in May, the City Council's Housing and Planning committees planning committee n (in local government) → comité m de planificación heard from residents, evicted tenants, property owners and developers. City leaders pledged to find solutions that were fair to both tenants and developers. ``We're making sure the condo conversion and demolition processes are being done within city guidelines and to ensure that the rights of displaced displaced see displacement. tenants are not abused,'' said Monica Valencia, spokeswoman for Councilman Ed Reyes Ed P. Reyes has served on the Los Angeles City Council since April 2001. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Councilmember Reyes represents many of the neighborhoods he grew up in including Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. , who heads the council's Planning and Land Use Committee. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. said the recommendations would close legal loopholes that hurt renters. ``We've added additional checks and balances to protect tenants.'' The recommendations include: Increase the fee charged for condo conversions in buildings larger than 11 units from $500 to $1,500 per unit. Provide tenants with $1,000 for moving expenses, in addition to relocation money. Form a task force to encourage the construction of more rental housing. Create a program to help displaced tenants buy condominiums created by conversions and demolitions. kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 |
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