Rent control: a hot-button issue
All the letters about rent control (“2 Sides to Rent Control,” Jan. 28) failed to consider its historical context.
In 1978, the landlords -- through their apartment owners’ associations -- promised tenants that they would lower rents if the tenants joined them in voting yes on Proposition 13. The theory behind this promise was that if the tenants helped to cut the landlords’ property taxes, the landlords could then afford to cut rents.
Prop. 13 was indeed voted into law. Then the tenants discovered that the landlords had lied about cutting rents. Rents and rental profits both kept rising. Rent control was the tenants’ revenge for being duped by the landlords.
DAVID E. ROSS
Oak Park
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Rent control does not go far enough to protect tenants. Two things that are particularly unfair are that there is no service, like the credit check, that tenants can use to screen serial evictors. Also I think there should be an escrow account to hold the tenant’s security deposit.
SANDRA FOGG
Venice
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The only reason rent control exists is to make rent affordable to people who could not otherwise afford it. If rent control is a good idea, shouldn’t we have medical cost controls? Is the solution to pass a law that medical costs cannot go up more than 3% each year? Since food is required for every person in Los Angeles, let’s put a cap of 3% on how much food costs can increase each year. Gasoline is a requirement for most. Let’s cap gasoline prices so more people can afford gasoline. Why are landlords singled out for price controls and other businesses that also provide vital products are not price controlled?
BOB FORD
Villa Park
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I got a kick out of the property owners’ side of the rent-control debate. Rent control gives renters an unfair break “when they can easily afford more”? Rubbish! Wages haven’t kept up with inflation for years and yet -- as supporters of this argument eagerly point out -- no law keeps anything else we must buy or finance from increasing.
Housing is one of the basic necessities a human needs to stay alive and healthy. Rent control is a legislative tool aimed at decreasing the likelihood of one becoming homeless due to greed or market forces beyond their control.
CHRIS MCMANIGAL
Los Angeles