Was the emergency rent stabilization ordinance introduced by Inglewood Mayor James Butts a bargaining chip? Mayor Butts was instrumental in negotiating with one property owner to restructure rent increases and relocation assistance for a some Inglewood residents. When other property owners didn’t return his calls, he introduced the ordinance.
Butts has admitted to underestimating the rent-increase problem, once thinking it could be solved on a case-by-case basis.
Angel Jennings, Los Angeles Times
Residents at 4821/4949 Century Blvd have publicly protested 60 day notices they received after the emergency ordinance was passed in early March. Residents say the city isn’t enforcing their own law. The city has responded, through City Attorney Ken Campos, that the notice falls outside of the ordinance since it is a 60 day notice, however, it was issued on March 15, 2019, ten days after the city passed an ordinance stating no just cause evictions.
Related: Residents Speak Out On Pending Eviction from City Owned Property
2UrbanGirls researched that the city is co-owner of the above mentioned properties and Mayor Butts didn’t dispute that fact at yesterday’s regular city council meeting. Instead, the city introduced a home buyers program, using $2 million of community development block grant (CDBG) funds.
Newly installed Acting Housing Manager Melanie McDade made a rare appearance at the city council meeting to detail highlights of the city’s findings on their research of providing a balance rent stabilization ordinance that will be unveiled at next week’s (April 16, 2019) regular city council meeting.
Many residents are adamant about remaining in the city of Inglewood. They don’t want to live anywhere else, but here, and this author ponders as to why? Perhaps they want the choice of moving elsewhere, not being forced to do so. Many residents blame renters and taunt them by saying “you should have bought house when it was affordable” a crass and heartless comment akin to saying why are you working for someone instead of owning your own business?
Ownership isn’t for everyone.
The Los Angeles Times recently spoke with the trio responsible for the surge in rents in Inglewood. Chris Meaney, D’artagnan Scorza and Mayor Butts. These three ushered in increases as they pushed for the city to approve the NFL coming to town.
“We wanted to be a model for investment without displacement,” Scorza said. “We didn’t want that capital to come in and flood out the folk who live here.”
D’artagnan Scorza, Uplift Inglewood founder and Inglewood Unified School Board Member
Rents began to increase after the housing crash of 2010. Many homeowners lost their houses and were forced into rental units. Demand exceeded supply. With the high foreclosures, came decreased property tax revenue for many cities, Inglewood included. The reopening of the Forum added property tax revenue, as did the building of the NFL stadium.
2UrbanGirls still believes the deal that transpired between Stan Kroenke and his wife was nothing more than a title swap, and that he didn’t actually pay for the parcels where his stadium is being built. It is also obvious the city lacks the infrastructure to accommodate parking for the incoming venues. That was demonstrated when the Forum had to resort to parking cars at the cemetery.
Now the city is expecting no less than 100,000 on NFL games days, and absolutely NOWHERE to park the cars. Even if they scattered them at the casino, every school site and empty parking lot in the city, there is NOWHERE to park the cars let alone empty out the traffic in a timely manner.
Mayor Butts continues to talk about the “glory” days of the Lakers and Kings playing here but the one caveat that’s missing is the facts.
The facts are the horse track was only open until around 4pm. Events at the Forum began around 7:30pm. Attendees could park at the racetrack which had AMPLE parking. That parking is now non-existent. And NOW they want to add the Clippers arena? No wonder the city has hired additional lobbyists and Metro related staff to push for a rail extension down Prairie.
Mayor Butts has bitten off more than he can chew and the residents have to bare the brunt of his bad decision making.
You can read the full LA Times article by clicking here.
