Los Angeles City Councilmembers Mike Bonin, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Paul Koretz and David Ryu are all backing a plan for an “empty-home penalty” or “vacancy tax”. This is another disastrous idea that is spreading throughout the whole state. They seem to think that this is “an important tool for addressing one of the root causes of homelessness”. How much more ridiculous will these politicians get!?
Great idea, Mr. Bonin…… if you apply it to yourself first, just to see if it might work. Pass a law that applies only to City Councilmembers. Each of you probably has a guest room or at least an “empty bed” in your home. Get a homeless person to stay in one of your beds so that “it will not be empty”! Test your “great ideas” before you pass laws to control and punish housing providers.
Keep in mind, Mr. Bonin, that it is you who does not want an empty bed. Are you being a little hypocritical by not filling your own “empty bed” first? Housing providers are already solving over 50% of the housing problem. Politicians have created the problem with all their building regulations and tenant welfare programs. They are really part of the problem while housing providers are a big part of the solution.
Want to Lower the Cost of Housing?
- Take some of that housing money and use it to replace all the fees and city charges on new construction.
- Require all legitimate building plans to be approved within six months.
- Stop trying to control everything with all your regulations and allow the free market to determine our housing needs. Just by slashing all these fees that cities and counties charge for new buildings, could lower the rent that must be collected to justify the cost of construction, by anywhere from $200 to $500 per month. And who do the politicians blame for high rents??
Face the fact, cities and counties are a big part of the problem by charging so much just to get a permit to build more housing. Share in the cost as you unfairly require housing providers to share so much more with your tenant welfare programs! Stop taking political donations from builders and expedite the plans of all the builders! Keep in mind that capitalism has proven to always provide the most people with the highest standard of living.
Thank you for dropping this ridiculous “empty bed” idea along with all the other tenant welfare programs. – Dan Faller, AOA Founder