Beverly Hills : 2 to Mediate Rent Dispute

Hoping to resolve a simmering dispute between landlords and tenants without amending the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, Mayor Max Salter named two City Council members to meet with representatives of each side.

The action came after Herm Shultz, president of Concern for Tenants’ Rights, a renters’ group, said that residents were in danger of losing their homes, because the ordinance allows landlords in some circumstances to evict tenants without cause. He said the law should be changed to permit evictions only for just cause, such as non-payment of rent.

Shultz also called for stricter enforcement of a provision limiting rent increases to 10% a year. He said some landlords are raising rents, then evicting tenants and raising the rent again. The law forbids a second increase until a year has passed.

Salter named City Council members Bernie Hecht and Vicki Reynolds to meet with landlord and tenant representatives in an effort to come up with a settlement by September.