Community organizer for the LA Alliance for a New Economy
Community organizer for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and a Silver Lake resident whose apartment in Silver Lake is slated for condo conversion
PROFILE
Marx Gutierrez
Guest
FROM Marx Gutierrez
Which Way, L.A.?
Condo Conversions and Relocation Fees LA's population growth has outstripped affordable housing, even for the middle class. The owners of rent-controlled apartments are limited to increases of 4% every year. So, many convert their buildings--or tear them down--to replace apartments with condos, which bring in a lot more money. Currently, tenants get relocation fees of $3500, $8500 if they're over 62, disabled or have minor dependent children. Yesterday, in chambers packed with tenants, landlords and developers, a majority of the Los Angeles City Council raised those fees and adopted a sliding scale, based in part on the tenant's income. The majority wasn't big enough to pass what the city's own planning director calls a mess in the making, so another vote will be taken next week. We join housing advocates and organizers, developers and city planners for an exploration of a dispute that dramatizes one of LA's most difficult problems, the shortage of affordable housing.
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