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HOMEFRONT POLITICS - I recently attended a Burbank Realtors Association meeting where the topic of punitive housing legislation was passionately discussed amongst an audience of Burbank area realtors, residents and property owners. There was tension and excitement in the air as both speakers and audience members struggled to maintain respectful demeanors while clearly needing to vent shared frustration over policies from State and City representatives who, judging by these policies, seem to hate us.
By us, I mean anyone who is unfortunate enough to be a California resident and member of the dwindling middle class made up of all races of people pursuing the American Dream. The controversy lies in the following bad legislation:
State Assembly Bill 1482
State Senate Bill 567
Burbank City Ordinance #25-4,025
Legislation which essentially makes a bad situation worse for no discernible reason, with no legitimate support data or evidence that the council is interested in pursuing . Our Democratic Socialist’s goal is clearly the abolition of a free real-estate market by replacing ALL rental properties with condos and townhomes that will somehow magically be affordable for low income renters to purchase.
Even the most dim-witted of us could reasonably assume that all bill parameters have been carefully considered by our self-appointed economics experts before foisting upon us, a radical system overhaul of the long standing free market capitalism we have enjoyed for generations; but assuming that would be a mistake in California; particularly, Los Angeles and Burbank.
With no plan in place that considers the difficulty of obtaining a home loan and building a viable credit rating, they offer instead, vacuous campaign rhetoric and promises that cannot be kept without stealing wealth from one socioeconomic group and giving it to another. The reality is, most of the renter class lives month to month and has no means to come up with the money necessary to buy a home; unless of course it is financed by the rest of us, mainly, the middle class.
That being true, one must therefore assume that the intention of these folks is to dismantle what’s left of the middle class and erect the new Socialist Republic Of California upon its wreckage; taking from those who have, and giving to those who don’t. Punishing those who thrived through hard work and giving the fruits of their labor to the renter class who the Socialists disrespectfully assume, cannot succeed on their own.
Here are some ordinance highlights…or lowlights, depending on your POV:
“…the Tenant Protection Act’s rent stabilization and just cause eviction provisions are
intended to ‘help families keep a roof over their heads…”
Like the rest of the language in this ordinance, it does not consider or mention the landlord’s families who often depend on the income from their rental properties to keep their roof over their heads. We are not talking about corporate apartment buildings here. These people are often immigrants who worked all their lives and invested in rental properties as a source of income security for their families.
“…to adopt ordinances that are ‘more protective’ than the tenant Protection act…..”
The Burbank City Council is unable to resist the compulsion to lie to their constituents about how housing can be made affordable with a stroke of their municipal pens. Voters of course, love to hear promises of home ownership from candidates and for some reason, even with a history of consistent failure, continue to believe them. These people are charlatans and should be recalled if for no other reason than their brazen stupidity and arrogance.
“…by heightening the requirements of an eviction based on intent to demolish or
substantially remodel…”
In other words, if a landlord wants to upgrade or repair their own property, the Burbank City Council wants to make it even more difficult than it already is, piling red tape and fees for small landlords and all the free services they can muster for the tenant.
“…the City Council finds and determines that the adoption of this ordinance is not
subject to the California Environmental Quality Act…”
Interesting how our far left self admitted Socialists are suddenly “anti-environment” treating CEQA as optional only when it forwards their agenda. God forbid a responsible builder would want to build single family homes for the middle class. Instead, these politicians assume that only they can facilitate first time buyer home ownership. How did any of us ever survive without them?
Here is a link to Sen Scott Wiener’s Bill that would eliminate single family homes altogether.
So why DO we keep electing these people? Are we so devoted to a party that we no longer recognize common sense policy or seek the common ground that we all intrinsically share? With so much political misinformation that is becoming impossible to distinguish from objective facts, we only have our inner voices to depend on. Promises from a political parties or anyone up on a soapbox clamoring about how their ill-conceived ideas will solve all your problems that THEY created must take a back seat; and I mean the “back-back” seat in an old 1970s station wagon.
When that voice is telling you something doesn’t add up, it’s usually because it doesn’t. It’s ok to not know why or what the alternative is, but that is not a reason to vote for super-majority Idiocracy. If we allow that voice to be shouted down by these immutably discontented California Socialists Sociopaths, they will eventually win, and ALL of us will lose.
It is time to stop punishing the middle class for our State and local government’s disastrous policies. Fault lies inarguably with the captured Democratic super-majority that has taken over a once reasonable California Democratic Party. It is they who got us into this mess and are now trying to find scapegoats to blame. Landlords and homeowners are not the Golden State killer. The Democratic Socialist is.
Until California learns to choose common sense and common ground over party, policies over candidates, and vote out the DEI screaming meemies, California will continue to fail.
(Mark Dutton is a lifelong musician, music producer, and writer. He was arguing politics with his parents since he was a pre-teen. Majored in psychology and left college in his 3rd year on a 30 year magic bus trip around the world playing and writing music with some of the best in the biz. Mark is a contributor to CityWatchLA.com.)
