Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Fight Against Landlord Scheme Continues With New You Tube Video

Tenants, seniors, mobile home owners and others have been rallying throughout the state to oppose the Landlords' Scheme to abolish rent control. To continue to fight back, they have launched a new You Tube video. You can view the video by clicking here.

1.1 Million Signatures Submitted for Real Eminent Domain Reform

By Larry Gross, executive director, Coalition for Economic Survival

Today a broad coalition of homeowners, tenants, environmentalists, labor, business and local governments began turning in over 1.1 million signatures for a real eminent domain reform measure that will appear on the June 2008 ballot. The Homeowners Protection Act (HPA) would protect homes from being taken by eminent domain and given to a private developer. It also contains a provision that would nullify the landlords’ Hidden Agendas Scheme if the HPA got more votes.

Where the Homeowners Protection Act is simple and pure, the landlords’ initiative is so bogged down with harmful provisions that it is certain to collapse under its own weight. Given the near certainty that the HPA will qualify for the ballot – the landlords should be concerned. When given a choice between real eminent domain reform and a trick by greedy landlords to abolish rent control, it’s clear which voters will choose.

They have spent 2 million dollars trying to qualify their anti-senior, anti-tenant, anti-environmental scheme for the ballot. What are they going to get in return for their investment? A seven month campaign exposing their greed and deception, and a failed initiative come June.

We’ll be working hard from now until June to expose the landlords and to defeat their scheme. There is nothing that gets tenants and seniors more involved and organized than a money grab by gluttonous landlords.

We are calling on all tenants and supporters of affordable housing to join the campaign to save rent control. Become involved in the Los Angeles area by contacting CES at www.cesinaction.org or contactces@earthlink.net. Or contact one of the groups listed on our resources section for more information about other areas of the state.

Monday, November 19, 2007

San Francisco Protests Kick Off Campaign To Defeat Landlords' "Hidden Agenda"




San Franciscans Say NO to the Landlords Scheme!

There are 180,000 renters in San Francisco who could lose their rent control if the landlords have their way. That’s why more than 100 protesters stormed Civic Center Plaza on November 14 with a clear message to the landlords “We know what you are trying to do, and we won’t let it happen.”


Groups like the San Francisco Tenants Union, Senior Action Network, St. Peter’s Housing Committee and the California Alliance for Retired Americans were there vowing to fight from now until June to expose the landlords’ real motives, and to highlight who will be impacted by their greedy power grab.

Every TV station in the Bay Area covered this event, showing intense interest on the part of the press to get the real story about what the landlords are trying to do. They even interviewed the head of the San Francisco Apartment Association! Check it out here: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news&id=4833752

Friday, November 16, 2007

Los Angeles Renters Rights Advocates Protest Landlord Conference


.....Los Angeles Renters and Elected Officials Gear Up For A Fight!
Los Angeles Protest Outside of Apartment Owners Association of California Convention

Right before Halloween, Los Angeles tenants groups, mobile homeowners, local elected officials and seniors gathered to let the landlords know that their “trick” was no “treat” for renters. The Apartment Owners Association of California were meeting at their trade show to scheme about how they were going to get rid of rent control under the guise of “eminent domain reform.” They didn’t expect to see an angry mob protesting and holding a press conference exposing their scheme.

Santa Monica Councilman Kevin McKeown and Carson Mayor Jim Dear joined nearly 100 seniors, renters, tenants’ rights advocates, and mobile homeowners who the October 30 meeting, carrying signs that read, “Keep My Grandpa off the Street,” “Save Rent Control”, and “All the Lies that Money Can Buy

Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Economic Survival, California Alliance for Retired Americans and the Golden State Manufactured Home Owners League were there to remind the landlords that their ruse was not going to fool them, and they would be working hard to keep it from fooling the voters as well.