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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
On The Possibility That COVID-19 Tenant Protections Will Never End
If you look up my membership you will see I’m one of the longest-term members of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles. Today, the State of California will not allow me to reach out to my tenants in any way which violates my first amendment rights.
I pray this will not happen but based on the behavior of both the Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the State’s latest relief bill
that protects non-paying tenants, it is a very strong possibility. I have
been a rental property owner here in Southern California since the 1960’s, and I am very concerned about the behavior of both the Federal government’s policies as well as those imposed by the State of California.
I disagree with California’s current eviction protection policies, and I believe that California is now turning into a Marxist state. California is the home of many elected officials who are like minded with New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of New York’s congressional representatives. “A.O.C.” is a far-left Democrat who obviously has been inspired by the socialist Bernie Sanders. Many say she is further left than Sanders.
California is and has been a very liberal State and as a believer in our constitution, I feel that is right and acceptable. However, a movement is afoot that even our President has identified as “The New World Order” and which spells doom for those here that have invested in rental property. A book has been written on this “New World Order” titled “Secret Confessions” by author, Paul Revere, and is available on Amazon. If you decide to read it, you’d better take a valium first. It has predicted much of what the radical left has done to our country, and more importantly, what is coming next.
By the way, please do not consider me to be an anti-Democrat, I have voted for more Democrats than Republicans in my long 80 plus years!
I have serious concerns regarding our Constitutional ownership rights and question, will we ever be able to legally collect rents and use the eviction process when a tenant does not pay rent? Most of us, including myself, pay rather large mortgages, lots of property taxes, and increasing building maintenance, water and power, etc. We rely on the income of our income properties to pay these costs. A tenant pays only the rent and when we cannot collect the rent by law, many of us will lose our properties and our investment just as those who lost their properties in the Russian Revolution in 1917.
So, I ask myself: Is the State of California going to be the testing ground in America for a coup just like the Russian Revolution? Should we lose our lawsuit against the State’s COVID-19 tenant protections, I fear it will – the State of California will become the testing ground for a coup just like the Russian Revolution! Also, how many of us can hold out until a lawsuit on “takings” or the “contracts clause” reaches the Supreme Court?
Based on the above which I consider a bitter and dirty fight, I have instructed my property managers to protect my investments under the existing law. I have told them to do the following:
• Tenant screening is now strengthened for protective purposes. We will restrict the following potential applicants; (i) anyone in the restaurant business other than an owner of an accomplished business, (ii) students of any kind and even those whose parents agree to cosign, (iii) small boutique owners, (iv) owners of a small business not fully established, (v) aspiring actors, including those who have had relatively small rolls, and (vi) workers who work for the afore described businesses.
• Prospective tenants who might be suited: (i) well-established business owner, (ii) persons who are employed by the Federal government and has had their job for five years or more, (iii) well know movie executive or actor, and (iv) workers for County or State government who have worked for that government entity for 5 years or more.
• Finally, my property managers are to run all approved tenants by me before accepting a deposit.
I prefer keeping a unit open until we are 100% sure we will be able to collect our rent. I understand that the County of Los Angeles has banned owners from legally shutting down their properties. This bill was drafted some time ago so I can see
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