Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Prop. 98 is An Attack on Real People - Meet Donna Matthews!


Prop. 98 Is an Attack on Real People
Profiles of the types of people who will be harmed by Proposition 98 - the landlords’ deceptive attack on renters, rent control, and renter protections.


Donna Matthews, 83, lives in Plantation on the Lake mobile home park in Calimesa, Riverside County and is facing an eviction threat over a disputed trash bill. Donna’s original agreement specified that a garbage bin and trash pick up would be provided as a part of her rent. Out of nowhere, 22 years later, Donna received a bill for $73.80 claiming she was two months behind on her trash bill. But Donna has never paid rent late and the trash fee was part of her rent. The landlord gave Donna 10 days to pay the fee or leave the park. Under protest Donna paid the fee, but her landlord is still trying to evict her through the court process. Right now, Donna is protected by strong mobile home tenant protection laws which protect against unfair evictions. But if Prop. 98 passes, those protections are threatened, and the landlord will likely try to evict Donna again. Also, because Prop. 98 eliminates rent control once a tenant moves out, the landlord will have a new financial incentive to try to get rid of Donna so he can raise the rent. Donna is a fighter and she refuses to be intimidated by her landlord. The Prop. 98 threat has inspired Donna to fight the greedy landlords and inform the mobile home park residents of Calimesa to vote No on Prop. 98 in June.

“What people don’t realize is that both the mobile home parks owners and mobile home owners have an investment. Without rent control it will be one investor taking advantage of another investor. We won’t have the bargaining power or the money that the owners will have. The landlords will raise the rents as high as they want. The rents will be so high and nobody will be able to rent the space. We would lose the value in our homes. If we lose our only nest-egg, where will we go?” -- Donna Matthews, 83, Calimesa

8 comments:

jsm said...

Any updates today on prop. 98!?!?!?

suzi said...

i already wrote a long comment, where is it?

Unknown said...

This is not only illegal, its just plain rude. My suggestion would be to leave the renting scene all together and buy a house of your own so no one can tell you who you can and cannot have over. I’ve been working with a company called Taylor Morrison to buy my first home and their financial advisors have been really helpful. Surf on over to their webpage (http://dreambig.taylormorrison.com/?utm_source=bc) to find out more information and to enter to win a dream vacation. I will keep this blog in my foreground because I really want to know how these people are doing.

Unknown said...

check out info on
tenants rights

Kamranistan Clothing Company said...

Unfortunately there are too many property managers that mistreat their tenants or take advantage of them.

As a victim myself I have finally created a website aimed at reviewing, rating, and discussing property managers or landlords all over the U.S.A.

Small people like us are sick of having to always take unfair treatment from the big guys. I encourage everyone to write reviews, rate their landlords, and participate in the forums to create awareness at http://www.rankmypropertymanagement.com

Chevassus said...

Ah yes, we had a difficult time w/ our landlords, NOW with prop 98? Dang.

Heck I even wrote a rap song about our apartments:

Apartment Rap
http://vimeo.com/7934524

That is all.

-Beau

o said...

As of 2/14 I think the space for new buyers is $700 a mth, plus sewer fee$$ plus trash fee$$, plus water fee $$, and it appears its a park that reads the electric themselves....plus I think that's a 10-20 year lease with yearly increases.... Doesn't look like values will hold. Filing eviction papers over $75 bucks sounds Wtf! Even after she paid it in protest...To take a persons home over $75 bucks, even after they paid it....i would definitelysteer clear

o said...

Wow! As each renter sells, the owner raises the rent on the new buyer.......as rents increase values will drop, leaving owners stranded with higher rents but lower values.....Not a Place for anyone I know