Action Alert: Support Home Ownership

FYI.... I joined this list a couple of months ago during the SF
gardener flap. Not exactly libertarian, but they seem like a pretty
good watchdog group.

Dear Morey;

I do not approve of Leno's proposed legislation which I had read
about earlier.

I also do not approve of hot news items which tend to leave out
important information or points of order which are needed to
understand what is going on and really happening.

If I understand Leno's proposed legislation corrrectly this is what
it would do. It would prohibit anyone who buys an apartment building
who does not live in or own the apartment building for 5 years to
declare it an Ellis Act building and take it off the rental market.
Then as ususally happens when taken off the market converting it
into TIC units.

Currently,according to news reports people have bought apartment
buildings and as quickly as possible have turned them into Ellis Act
buildings and gone TIC.

Leno in his stupidity wants to try to protect renters who live in
those buildings. Just like the Board of Supervisors in its mis-
guided attempts to protect renters also passes legislation aimed at
making it more difficult for landlords.

The problem SFSOS does not address is as more apartment units go
Ellis Act then to TIC the less rental units there are for renters.
The less rental units for renters to choose from the less landlords
have reason to compete in rental pricing.

What is Wade Randlett and SFSOS doing to remove the restictions on
building the 25,000 rentals units needed to address the RENTAL
population of San Francisco? With the additional rental units there
would be competition for renters and rental prices through
competition would drop.

Secondly, what is Wade Randlett and SFSOS doing to promote the
construction of affordable condominiums or town houses? Currently
construction is aimed at luxury condos. What is SFSOS doing to take
the execessive labor costs of the construction industry in San
FRancisco? These union labor costs can literally double or triple
the building costs and thereby increases the prices needed to cover
construction costs and still make a profit.

Wade Randlett of SFSOS needs to be more factual in his statements if
he wants to convert this person to paying any attention to SFSOS.

He and SFSOS also need to address the issues of more rental units
construction so there is rental pricing competition. And the
construction of affordable condos or townhouses. Then more people
can have home ownership who can afford to have home ownership.

Ron Getty
SF Libertarian

--- In lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com, Morey Straus
<morey.straus@g...> wrote:

FYI.... I joined this list a couple of months ago during the SF
gardener flap. Not exactly libertarian, but they seem like a

pretty

good watchdog group.

From: info@s... <info@s...>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 17:42:05 -0800
Subject: Action Alert: Support Home Ownership
To: "morey.straus@g..." <morey.straus@g...>

Democracy Works Best When Citizens Are Actively Involved
  
Contact Assemblyman Leno to tell him you support home ownership

Dear Morey,

Sadly, Assemblyman Mark Leno is once again pandering to
anti-homeowner special interests at the expense of regular San
Franciscans who want to buy a home here and stay San Franciscans.

Leno

has just filed legislation that would create a five-year waiting
period for anyone who buys a home and wants to live in it instead

of

renting it out.

Imagine it. You've finally reached that milestone in your life

when

you're ready and able to buy your first home...and you're told you
have to let someone else live there for five years.

The extreme left misses no chance to knock out rungs in the
homeownership ladder that should allow San Franciscans to start out
with a modest unit and work their way up. When whole swaths of low-
and moderate-cost potential units are regulated out of reach, only

the

very wealthiest people will be able to buy a home and stay here

(note

yesterday's report that existing single family homes are

appreciating

at 23% annually in SF). This once again betrays the extreme left's
real agenda: keeping renters as renters and driving middle-class
families out of the City.

Please take a moment to contact Leno's office and tell him to drop
his legislation immediately.

Urge Assemblyman Leno to drop this anti-housing legislation

immediately

Hi Ron -

Those are some good points you raised. I had not thought much about
them but I agree that they are valid. I'm just not sure I understand
your opposition to the effort. If I champion one issue, must I also
be waxing over all related causes?

Regards,
Morey