Orchard Supply Hardware has announced that it’s going out of business due to low sales.
A local bookstore is soliciting crowdfunding to help it survive. There are many more stories like this in today’s news. Yet, when rental property owners announce that they’re going out of business by converting a building to ownership units or by way of the Ellis Act, rather than handwringing and nostalgia, we are subjected to picketing of our homes and vandalizing of our properties. Do the supporters of repealing Costa- Hawkins, which would doom rental property owners to whatever rent level is in place now, realize that they are unwittingly contributing to a future with fewer rentals? Will they be satisfied when most rentals are owned by government agencies and managed like our public housing?
Fighting Back
Those of us who want to continue renting out our units are fighting back against Prop. 10, the misnamed “Affordable Housing Act.” Many of us have contributed already. In fact, our initial request for funds was so successful that our coalition leaders asked for a copy of the letter we sent to you. There are actually two coalitions, one formed by the California Apartment Association, the other by the California Rental Housing Association. After a few weeks of sparring, all realized that defeating Prop. 10 on November 6 is all that matters, so we’re now working jointly. You’ll soon see TV ads and messages on social media. We’ll have window signs and door hangers. Our businesses and our renters’ homes are at stake. We need for everyone to contribute to the effort TODAY!
If there is any doubt about what will happen if Prop. 10 succeeds, look no further than Berkeley. Berkeley voters face a measure on the November ballot to reinstitute vacancy control should Prop. 10 pass. It’s interesting to note that Berkeley Property Owners Association was instrumental in the passage of the Costa-Hawkins Act in 1995.
NO ON 10: SPREAD THE WORD!
Simple grassroots efforts can be very effective. We have two informational flyers posted on our website at: www.smallprop.org/sposf/alerts/.
• MYTH vs. FACT. No on Prop 10
• Fact Sheet Prop 10, the so-called “Affordable Housing Act,” is anything but affordable Housing.
We encourage you to print and hand them out to friends and neighbors. If you need more than a few, let us know. Our message is clear: Prop. 10 is flawed in many ways; it will cost taxpayers millions and will actually reduce the supply of rentals. But we should NOT characterize advocates of Prop. 10 as evil, self-serving tenant groups. The measure’s flaws are the issue.
Endorsements
SPOSF is endorsing a few candidates for public office, even some who’ve announced that they favor passage of Prop. 10. Their official position is based on “local control,” the idea thatSan Francisco should be able to make its own laws, unhampered by state regulations.
Well, we all know what to expect fromSan Francisco’s Board of Supervisors and appointed boards. Our own Josephine Zhao, who has done so much to re-vitalize SPOSFI, has come under vicious attack in her campaign for School Board Member because of statements she made five years ago about regulations surrounding transgender students. Her English was more limited at
the time; now, she has apologized for her misunderstanding of the document. I continue to stand by her, and I hope you will too.
Noni Richen is the President of the San Francisco Small Property Owners Association. Reprinted with permission of the Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute (SPOSFI) News. For more information on becoming a member of SPOSFI or to send a tax-deductible donation, please visit their website at www.smallprop.org or call (415) 647-2419.