Come to Culver City Council Monday, June 24, 7pm, to protect renters

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[Below is an article by Culver City Democratic Club member Jeff Schwartz informing residents about an extremely important issue that will be coming up at the Culver City Council meeting this Monday.]

Rent Freeze to be Considered at June 24 City Council Meeting

by Protect Culver City Renters

On Monday June 24, the Culver City Council will consider a rent
freeze. What is a rent freeze, and why does Culver City need one?

Renters in Culver City currently only have the minimum protections
required by state law. Landlords can raise rents as much and as often
as they want and are not required to give a reason for evictions.

Nearby cities, including Los Angeles, Inglewood, Santa Monica, West
Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Glendale, Pasadena, and the unincorporated
areas of LA County such as Marina Del Rey, all offer tenants
additional support, such as relocation assistance when a building is
demolished or turned into condominiums, restricting evictions to cases
of nonpayment, property damage, crime, or other serious misconduct,
limiting the amount and frequency of rent increases, and monitoring
what rental properties exist and what their rents are.

A study conducted by Protect Culver City Renters shows that large
majorities of Culver City renters and homeowners support adding the
renter protections our neighboring cities have, and that overwhelming
numbers of Culver City renters are concerned about their ability to
stay in their homes.

Other cities’ experiences have shown that the City needs to
implement a temporary rent freeze before a discussion of these
protections can start. This will prevent landlords from raising rents
in anticipation of future limits or as a way to intimidate or punish
renters who support regulation. Glendale took this step last November
and Inglewood this March.

At the May 28 City Council meeting, Protect Culver City Renters
presented the Council with over 350 postcards from Culver City
residents in support of a temporary rent freeze and requested action
as soon as possible. The Council agreed to discuss a rent freeze on
June 24. At that meeting Protect Culver City Renters will share their
survey results and present an outline of a rent freeze ordinance based
on those which have worked nearby.

To learn more, join Protect Culver City Renters at 7PM on the 24th
at City Hall, “like” PCCR on Facebook, and follow @protectccrenters on
Instagram.

[the following is the text of an email from the City about the meeting.]

Discussion and Direction Regarding a Rent Freeze
(Moratorium on Rent Increases)

City Council Meeting

When: Monday, June 24, 2019

7:00 PM

Where: Mike Balkman Council Chambers – City Hall
9770 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232

Please join the City Council for its discussion of options regarding a rent freeze (moratorium on rent increases), and direction to staff.

The meeting will take place on Monday, June 24, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Mike Balkman Council Chambers, City Hall 9770 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232.

The City Council agenda item reports are available for viewing online no later than 72 hours prior to the meeting date and time for regular meetings and no later than 24 hours prior to a special meeting at www.culvercity.org/agendas or at the City Clerk’s Office.

Persons who are unable to attend the meeting but wish to provide the City Council with written comment may do so by any of the following means BEFORE 4:00 p.m. on June 24, 2019:

By MAIL to the City Clerk, City of Culver City,
9770 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232;

By FAX to the City Clerk at 310-253-5830; or

By E-MAIL to city.clerk@culvercity.org

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Tevis Barnes, Housing Programs Administrator at (310) 253-5780 or tevis.barnes@culvercity.org.

With frequent service and direct connection to the Expo line, Culver CityBus Line 7 can make it easy to attend City Council meetings at City Hall! Plan your trip online by visiting www.culvercitybus.org or by calling 310-253-6500.