Apartment Building in Crossfire of 2 Cities’ Rent Control Border War

The eviction of tenants from a 16-unit apartment building on the boundary of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles has touched off a border dispute between the rent control agencies of the two cities.

At issue is which rent control law applies to the building at 484 S. Roxbury Drive.

Officials of the Rent Stabilization Division the Los Angeles Community Development Department argue that their law should apply because most of the building lies within the Los Angeles city limits. A city review of property records shows that two-thirds of the building, or 12,022 square feet, lies in Los Angeles and only 5,676 square feet is in Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills, on the other hand, has recommended that jurisdiction over the building be divided along the border, a suggestion that has been called “a King Solomon decision.”

Splitting the Difference

Seven of the 16 apartments in the building are in Beverly Hills and should remain under that city’s control, said Roxanne Mora, director of the Rent Stabilization Program in Beverly Hills. Those in the city of Los Angeles should be controlled by that city’s ordinance, she added.

Crimson Industries Inc., owner of the building, could not be reached for comment.

However, several of the Roxbury tenants, who have long considered themselves to be Beverly Hills residents, said they were surprised to receive the 30-day eviction notice under the Los Angeles rent control law last month. Evictions to rehabilitate buildings are tightly restricted under the Beverly Hills ordinance.

‘It Is Not Fair’

“It is not fair,” said Judith Frank, who has lived in the building for 12 years. “The landlord is using a gimmick to tell us that we do not live in Beverly Hills. The landlord wants to throw us out during the Christmas-Hanukkah holiday.”

Frank lives in an apartment on the Los Angeles side of the border, but because the address on the building is considered within Beverly Hills, her three children were assigned to that school district.

Harriette Douglas, 67, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment on the Beverly Hills side of the border, was less concerned. “I’m just going to sit back and abide by the laws,” she said.

When the landlord sent the eviction notice, she said, he addressed the envelope to Los Angeles. “The post office scratched out the Los Angeles and put Beverly Hills,” she said with a laugh.

Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Director Barbara Zeidman said there are many apartments straddling the border of Los Angeles. In Santa Monica, West Hollywood and the Los Angeles County, she said, agreements have been worked out that would allow the agency in the city where the majority of the building is located to maintain control.

“A King Solomon solution to divide the building between agencies would do little to serve the interest of the tenants and landlords of the building,” she said.

Informing Landlord

In a Dec. 2 letter to Beverly Hills, Zeidman said her office informed the landlord that all of the rental units come under Los Angeles’ ordinance.

“It is in the best interests of tenants, as well, that regulatory programs such as rent stabilization be applied uniformly to all residents in the same housing structure,” the letter stated. “To do otherwise would invite confusion and conflict for owners and residents alike.”

Zeidman said she plans to meet with Beverly Hills officials to work out an agreement.

However, accord may not easily be reached. Councilman Benjamin Stansbury, who supports the idea of dividing the building, said that “constitutional rights may be in question.”

He said that people who reside in the city of Beverly Hills are allowed to vote there and send their children to Beverly Hills schools and are entitled to numerous other services.

‘Different Set of Rules’

“I don’t know why they expect some different set of rules to apply to rent control,” he said.

Under both the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles ordinances, landlords are required to pay relocation fees as high as $2,500. Annual rent increases in Los Angeles are limited to 5% a year; Beverly Hills has set a maximum increase of 10%.

Under the Los Angeles ordinance, the landlord of the Roxbury property was allowed to evict the tenants with a 30-day notice.

The Beverly Hills ordinance would have required the landlord to give 60 days notice of his intention to remodel the building, and he would not have been allowed to charge more rent because of the remodeling job.