RENTERS NEED HELP! HOUSING / RENTERS REPRESENTATIVE ON LA NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS

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RENTERS NEED HELP! HOUSING / RENTERS REPRESENTATIVE ON LA NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS

Los Angeles, CA > Housing & Community Development

Jane Demian

Proposed Dec. 7, 2017

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Hi Angelenos. I'm proposing that Empower LA empowers Neighborhood Councils throughout Los Angeles to establish a Standing Committee for a Housing / Renters representative. As it stands now, Neighborhood Councils have a limited number of Standing Committees. They determine which additional seat positions on the Council are necessary depending on the needs of their community. Those additional positions are taken from At Large members. What is needed is a Standing Committee for a Housing / Renters representative to allow consistency and transparency for all residents living in a particular district. Renters are most likely being affected by high rents and evictions, however without a Standing Committee representative the Neighborhood Council may not have the information or resources available to help these residents. Neighborhood Councils may instead refer tenants to the Housing Department (HCIDLA) requiring renters to undergo a prolonged and time-consuming navigation through confusing government bureaucracy. In order to improve transparency and disclosure, Neighborhood Councils need to provide a liaison to make information available to renters who are undergoing the challenges of high rent increases and evictions. Often tenants are served with papers from landlords, but tenants are not provided with support services to help them navigate the bureaucracy of the housing department. Very often tenants do not know their rights and have to search for volunteer, non-profit groups that help them learn their rights and provide them with information. Time is of the essence as there is usually a deadline for a tenant to respond or move out. A Neighborhood Council Housing / Renters representative on a Standing Committee could consistently and transparently offer Tenants Workshops, Know Your Rights outreach and provide liaison among the various housing departments. I urge you to support this proposed policy for full transparency and disclosure to tenants.

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Lee B (05/09/2018)
I am proud to say that the Encino Neighborhood Council has 3 board positions representing Housing issues. They are the Apartment/Condo Representative, Encino Property Owners Association (EPOA) Representative, and Home Owners of Encino (HOME) Representative, each with one alternate position.