Page 12 - AAGLA-JUNE 2022

Executive Director’s Message
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Sarcasm Abound...The Life of a Landlord
BSy Daniel Yukelson
ometimes I just try to stop it...but most times these days I cannot help myself. After more than 4-years at the helm of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, my speech has become filled with cynicism, I speak with tremendous disdain towards certain of our elected officials, and well, I just cannot but help being sarcastic about the overwhelming
regulations continuously harming our investments in income property and stealing our retirements. Rent regulations, tenant protections, and in particular, relocations fees are today’s government acting out as the renter’s perceived modern-day Robin Hood – in theory that garners tenant voters for our politicians, while at the same time, it drives “us” out of business.
Help House Our Huddled Masses
On one recent day, I was contacted by the office of Mayor Garcetti of City of Los Angeles and asked to help “spread the word” to all landlords “near and far” (my embellishment added) about the new rental voucher program being offered by the city. I thought, sarcastically of course, to myself that when government needs us, they love to call on us for help, but we know they are just trying to drive us out of business or quite possibly wipe us off from the face of the Earth! I get it, there are lots of people out there in “Angeleno Land” and well beyond for that matter who are desperately in need of housing, particularly affordable housing, and while there are many vouchers being issued, there probably are not enough to go around although the mayor’s office was telling me that they had recently “come into” a ton of them that the City was looking to put into the hands of housing providers. The person who contacted me from the mayor’s office told me “I know a 60-year-old man with spinal stenosis right now hoping to find someone who will take his voucher. It can be hard to get a landlord to sign-on. Would you be comfortable sending this to your constituents?”
This seemingly nice person from the mayor’s office just didn’t realize the predicament, “we” very much wanting to help any way that we can rental property owners, are in. I tried to explain and at the same time suggested that she tell “our” dear mayor (well, if I am being honest, not really “my” mayor – I wouldn’t want to live in a city like Los Angeles, and I could certainly think of a swear word to replace “dear”) that the constant imposing of regulations on rental property owners by the city are a huge impediment to taking vouchers. I explained that while owners would
12 JUNE 2022 • WWW.AAGLA.ORG
love to accept vouchers, there are too many risks involved today with the city’s moratoriums on evictions and rent increases, anti-tenant harassment ordinances, overzealous inspectors, proposed elimination of tenant screening, and so much more – it is getting just impossible to do business as a landlord in Los Angeles today.
I also explained to this nice mayoral representative how our members had recently been asked by Los Angeles County to take on the risk associated with housing thousands of Afghan refugees, and many had signed up despite the fact funding of rents was not yet assured – our members wanted to help in this great endeavor despite the risk, but that only lasted until the County extended its moratorium on evictions until June 30, 2023 – so interest waned and then became non-existent. I bet you didn’t know that the “Feds” are sending 30,000 Afghan refugees in need of jobs and housing to just Los Angeles County alone! They may displace some homeless people who are waiting for places to live. Oh, the irony of it all! As I had mentioned earlier, I just find “it” ironic that the government treats “we the people” in the housing business like pariahs, but when they need us, they come begging for our help, hoping we will let bygones be bygones or perhaps thinking we are a bunch of fools with no short- term memories. Let’s all just shrug our shoulders and smile. It is too complicated to explain government’s thinking.
I truly just hate to be so sarcastic about it all, but I only express my feelings for the current regulatory environment with utter honesty. The saying “shooting oneself in their own foot” often comes to mind when I think about the city asking us to accept its vouchers and the county asking us to house Afghan refugees without any sort of assurances about credit worthiness or backing to ensure we receive the rent that is owed to us.
The Los Angeles Police Department Inquiry
Even more recently, the Los Angeles Police Department has asked rental housing providers to consider housing, at a discount of course, sworn officers and (mostly) officer trainees as an incentive to help the department meet hiring goals. You must remember the Los Angeles Police Department? Those are the ones that used to respond. Honestly, I don’t mean to make light of our brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day – it’s not really their fault, it is the fault of the mayor and city council who have completely derailed the city’s finances...yet
I digress. Please turn to page 15