Dear Mr. Hayes,
I’m a fourth generation Pasadenan transplant. My great grandparents, grandmother, and mother lived in Pasadena, but in the seventies most of us were priced out. Upon graduate studies, I moved into my apartment in Pasadena, reconvening a long and rich history here.
Your article, “Landlords Have Rights Too. Where Does the Taking of Rights Stop?” raised some concerns: where did the count of three thousand “mom and pop” landlords come from, and why did it contradict the fact that Pasadena’s rent control measure parallels state law, maintains private property rights and guarantees landlords a fair return?
Further, your article claims the solution to our dire housing crisis is “simple economics”—get the city to build more affordable housing. While we wish it was that simple, getting the city to do so is exactly what affordable housing groups have been pushing for decades yet here we are today. All throughout the city, families, children, seniors and the disabled are living on the streets. Our historically black and brown communities are decimated, as more and more are priced out and forced out of their homes. Even with state intervention, through SB 9 and 10, AB 1482, which require a statewide increase in the affordable housing stock, renters need to be able to afford the rent. More pointedly, recent studies in environmental and regional equity indicate rent control is one of the most effective and immediate solutions to the housing crisis. Renters cannot wait any longer and desperately need rent control. We must prevent price gouging and
displacement. Too many faces like my own are disappearing from the map; two, three, four generations of love, service and dedication that made Pasadena a genuinely diverse and equitable community— priced out.
So, when you get a minute, I’d love to introduce you to many more moms and pops that you can help.
Sincerely,
Mercy Young
Pasadena for Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction
Got something to say, email Managing Editor André Coleman, at andrec@pasadenanowmagazine.
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One thought on “We Get More Letters: Another Take on Rent Control”
Facts matter. The truth matters. The fact is this proposed ordinance does not maintain private property rights, nor does it guarantee landlords a fair rate of return. A desire to help one mom and pop at the expense of another is mean-spirited and wrong. Our housing crisis needs a solution, this just isn’t it.