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.