Apartments in the Affordable Range

$1,140 to rent the typical apartment in Los Angeles County? Maybe in West Los Angeles or Beverly Hills [“Rising Rents Squeeze Area’s Working Poor,” Sept. 10].

I am the president of a property management company in Los Angeles, and I can assure you that there are many nice apartment buildings in the city of Los Angeles, including the San Fernando Valley, where one can rent a one-bedroom apartment for $550-$650 and a two-bedroom for $750-$850.

Just because someone can’t afford to pay $1,140 in rent doesn’t mean that they need to settle for slum housing.

MARC CHOPP

Los Angeles

* The state and local governments for the last 20 years have done absolutely nothing to encourage private housing development.

We have seen the advent of rent controls, no-growth policies and rising water and sewer rates that make it very difficult to achieve any return on multifamily residential investments.

MARK T. DOLAN

Pasadena