Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Free Gift Cards from LA City Housing Department!

The LA City Housing Department wants to hear from renters about their experience as renters. They are holding a focus group meeting on August 23rd at from 6 to 8pm. at their regional office on Van Nuys Boulevard. They want input from renters regarding the future of LA Housing Policy relating to the "Economic Study of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and the Local Housing Market," according to their flyer.

They really must want folks to attend; just look at all they're offering if you do attend (from their meager flyer that doesn't even have a City seal on it):

What do YOU get for participating in this focus group?
  • $25 gift card
  • Parking reimbursed or bus tokens available
  • Refreshments will be provided
  • Opportunity to shape LA City housing policy
They really want you for at least $12 an hour plus snacks!

You must RSVP by August 22 to Sandra Luna at 213-892-0154. (This study is being conducted by the Economic Roundtable and sponsored by the Housing Deparment.)

Sign up today to get your non-descript $25 gift card! (We wonder where it is able to be used?)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

If anyone goes to this meeting, express the need for apartments that will accept pets. If it's illegal to discriminate against people with kids, it should be illegal to discriminate against people with animals. Kids do more damage than animals to apartments. Responsible pet owners should be allowed places to live.

Anonymous said...

to each his own, put pets are annoying.

Nerd: your link is broken, is this for reals?

Anonymous said...

How about they invite landlords and managers too? We could discuss the jackbooted policies of the LAHD. Ever been cited by them? You can't get a hearing, they are not required to present any evidence against you, and they can just make you pay whatever they say and that is that. It is a Communist agency (obviously) that operates much like the KGB - it's all about anonymous tips, secret investigations, unfounded claims, and final punishment that cannot be appealed.

If dog owners would pick up their dog crap, maybe I'd rent to them. Kids don't crap leave crap on the lawn.

But I won't rent to families either - people with good credit who make lots of money and want to live in apartments usually happen to be single, thankfully.

Hey poor people - you don't deserve to live here. I shouldn't have to subsidize your loser life. Make more money, or move to the sticks. Rent control causes crime, urban blight, and reduces property values. No one ever voted on it, it was only supposed to be temporary, and it is an unconstitutional taking of private property.

Anonymous said...

Renting sucks. I own a duplex and tried it for a time but now just use the other unit for office space. It was to much of a pain in the butt to deal with LAHD. My renters cracked a window and it took 5 weeks for the customer order replacement to arrive. Two weeks after they cracked the window they reported it to LAHD. I didn't even have a chance to get a contractor there to install the new one before the was an investigation going on.

Anonymous said...

So many slumlords, so little time. Nice! What is it about the property management racket that attracts the dregs of society? I guess when you have no talents or marketable skills it beats working. God forbid there should be any ordinance in place that prevents the subsidization of your greed at your sole discretion. "How about they invite landlords and managers too?" Maybe that's a different meeting where they invite the "part of the problem" crowd.

AVN said...

Probably one of those Visa gift cards, good anywhere Visa is accepted. (Subject to clerk's familiarity with such cards and various fees and deductions by Visa.)

Anonymous said...

I'm a renter. Always have been. I have had great landlords, and impossibly horrid ones. I was just evicted from my home because it was being converted. Does the housing department understand that California is primarily composed of renters? And guess what? To those people who sneer at bad credit - it has nothing to do with where and how you live. Some of us value our homes, and credit is something confusing to us

Anonymous said...

As author of the previous post, holder of a post graduate degree, member of the bar, and someone whose income surpassed six figures before my 30th birthday, you will find that many landlords are like me - white, upper-middle class, and well-educated. It's a 2nd job, an investment, and a way to have others help pay my mortgage because I don't want to live in a condo, and see no need to have a million dollar mortgage for myself as a single person.

I was a liberal until I reached my late 20s. My encounters with anti-white racism veiled as "multi-culturism," the fascist thought-crime known as "political correctness," being the victim of crime perpetrated by ILLEGAL immigrants, and being subjected to socialist city government agencies like the LAHD has turned me into a die-hard right winger (more accurately libertarian, but as my the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I vote Republican).

Rent control and the LAHD punishes me for my success and good fortune. It's like something out of Atlas Shrugged. Not only are landlords subject to being conned and scanned by unscrupulous renters with our only recourse an expensive and drawn out court process, we also are subject to arbitrary punishment by the LAHD.

But for those of you who get "confused" by the whole concept of credit, I'm sure that all went right over your head. Lucky for you, people like me are here to help pay your rent. I'm not a slumlord. I live in my building. It is gorgeous. Over $250k was spent in renovations. As a result, if I file all the correct paperwork, I can raise my tenants' rent by $55 per month.

Anonymous said...

I'm a renter (with awesome credit) and I have pets (1 dog, 2 cats) and it was hard to find a place but I did. I don't mind having to pay the "pet deposit". I don't know what kind of pet owners let their pets crap in apartments or don't clean it up but hopefully they don't breed live children if that is how they run their lives.

I am very responsible and take very good care of my apt. I always get my full deposits back (when I have moved). I think kids are much worse than pets.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to go - I really want to make a statement that the city needs - DESPERATELY needs - more affordable housing.

If poor people don't deserve to live here, then you, Mr. Anonymous Conservative Poster, are going to have to pay a LOT more for just about everything because wages will have to increase substantially.