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By Don Gibbs
April 17, 2008
Writer Joe Mac makes a good point ("Landlords have assets," The Examiner, April 12-13) when he suggests if rent control forces a landlord to lose money the landlord should get out of the business. In fact, Supervisor Aaron Peskin says the same thing. Concerned about the loss in rental stock from conversions to TIC's and hoping to stop it, he called a meeting in North Beach to call for ideas.
When I complained that it was over-regulation of owner-occupied small properties that was the root cause, he said, "If you don't like the way we regulate, get out of the business." That's exactly what we're doing: we're selling out to developers, which means we also lose our homes, or we, ourselves, convert to TIC's — anything to stop losing money.
Let's all be realistic. Tenants want cheap rent. The so-called progressive supervisors want to be re-elected. Tough luck for the mom and pop landlords. Thomas Jefferson called it the tyranny of the majority.
Don Gibbs SAN FRANCISCO
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