From the February 2010 Newsletter:

SPOSFI's successes are often best measured by the ground we hold
By Noni Richen, SPOSFI President

A good indicator of our effectiveness is the way our colleagues and our adversaries regard us. I’d like to highlight a few examples. Our adversaries are many and well organized. And often, when we show up at hearings to testify on housing issues, we find that a large bloc of them have been influential in crafting the legislation under consideration, while an owner group or two may simply have been paid lip- service by being “consulted.” But SPOSFI has been nowhere to be seen on the list of “stakeholders.”

One of the primary goals of our current Board of Directors has been to present ourselves as credible partners for other like-minded groups and individuals in pursuit of our common goal: maintaining control over our properties. Our successes have often come in baby steps, but primary among them is the fact that we now have a place at the political table. In the past few months we’ve met, together with other groups, with the Mayor’s office and with an Animal Control and Welfare Commissioner, and have gotten calls from Super visors Dufty and Mar to discuss upcoming legislation. Mr. Mar’s legislation restricting owner move-in evictions in rental households that include children was amended to address some of our objections.

Next week, we’ll be strategizing with other local groups, and we plan to meet later this spring with compatible organizations from all over California to discuss statewide collaboration to regain some lost ground. More details on this in a future editorial.

Not only are like-minded groups taking note of us; we’re coming up increasingly on the radar of our political adversaries. For example, a representative from an allied owner group has mentioned e-mails between a paid tenant activist and a housing-hostile Supervisor, specifically discussing us as a potential roadblock to their plans. This is a significant elevation in status from being ignored.

Several discouraged members have contacted me, asking why SPOSFI “isn’t more effective.” First, let me thank all of you who care enough to communicate your concerns: letting us know what’s on your mind is very important to us. In response, I’d like to suggest another way to gauge our effectiveness. In a city with 67% renters and many Supervisors eager to pander to them, our successes are often best viewed in terms of holding on to ground rather than breaking new ground. For example: we’ve succeeded in convincing Supervisors to tweak legislation and commissions to alter regulations and fee structures (although we’re still viewed as easy pickings as cash cows). We’ve effected these small but significant changes in regular collaboration with other owner groups.

At this month’s regular members’ meeting, we’ll hear from at least two supervisorial candidates we are considering endorsing jointly with other groups for the November election. It is imperative that we impress these candidates with a good turn-out, so they realize that we are a credible organization committed to their electoral success.

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