Rent control not a problem solver...

Rent control not a problem solver

In Thursday’s Mailbag, Wallace Woods gave his two cents regarding

the issue of rent control (“Rent control not a problem”). His claims

are so factually fallacious that it is hard to know where to start.

There is not enough space here to respond to all his points, but I

will point out that I, too, have lived in rent-controlled cities, and

what Woods fails to point out is that the very people it is designed

to help (poor, retired elderly, etc.) are virtually locked out of

ever renting there at all. Because landlords wish to protect their

investments, they almost exclusively rent to the well-to-do who have

connections or who agree to pay exorbitant “key fees.” In addition,

since the rents are capped, landlords have little cash flow to make

upgrades and improvements, choosing simply to keep their units

functioning at a minimal level. Often, they simply give up and turn

their properties into condominiums. This decreases the number of

rental units on the market, thus making existing rentals that much

more dear.

Finally, the reason there is such low tenant turnover in

rent-controlled cities is that those tenants would have to be nuts to

give up a Manhattan penthouse or Santa Monica ocean view for which

they are paying literally pennies on the dollar.

BOB BERNATZ

Newport Beach

Costa Mesa election left no choice but write-in

This having been my first election as a Costa Mesa resident, I

have a few observations that I’d like to share with the people of the

city.

I must say that I have never encountered five city council

candidates anywhere who were so narrow and exclusive in their

politics. Choosing between them was like picking among the least

bruised apple at the grocery store.

Three of the candidates were for what was euphemistically called

“redevelopment” of the “blighted” Westside, or simply for “less

density,” as Mayor Linda Dixon put it. Now we all know that the

Westside is predominately Latino and that any development aimed at

increasing single-family housing will surely displace families that

rely on renting apartments in multifamily complexes.

Now, of course, one of the oldest trumps in American politics is

the race card -- which generates votes from white citizens by

drumming up fears that foreigners or those of color are eroding the

“values” of established, law-abiding citizens.

I think all the candidates should take a careful look at their

campaigns and take full responsibility for the kinds of messages they

sent to the citizens of Costa Mesa.

Based on the literature and statements of the candidates, it seems

to me that the Costa Mesa City Council should be renamed the Costa

Mesa Homeowner’s Assn., for those people are clearly its only

targeted constituency.

There are people in Costa Mesa who either can’t afford a house,

don’t want to buy a house or just plain don’t give a darn, and to

frame public policies and citizenship around the issue of

homeownership makes about as much sense as judging a citizen by the

color of his automobile.

Flaming a political dialectic that pits homeowners against

lower-income residents is a far cry from the slogan “United We Stand”

that appeared on one of the campaign fliers I received at my home.

If you can’t stand with your neighbors who live across town from

you, then what is your unity all about, I might ask? Is unity only

about bombing people in foreign countries? I hope not.

Faced with such choices, I was forced to write-in my friend’s son

Noam, a very bright 6-year-old who likes ballet and ex-Dodgers

pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

ROBERT FAY

Costa Mesa

Newport Harbor lacks more than counselors

Not enough academic counselors at Newport Harbor High School?

There’s not enough of a lot of things at Newport Harbor High School

and the rest of the district’s high schools (“Not enough counselors,

students say,” Oct. 12). How about not enough teachers, classrooms,

supplies, maintenance? I could go on and on.

I have put two children through the school system, my last this

year at Newport Harbor High School. I do agree that more counselors

would be great and much needed at the area schools, but I personally

have not experienced any problems with issues I have had to discuss

with Peggy Hoyt, my son’s counselor, regarding class schedules,

college admissions and general questions. Hoyt has always, always

been there for my two children. She has always called us back right

away with any concerns or questions we have had. If we had a problem,

we would let her know if it was of great concern or to call us back

at her convenience.

I think this might work for students also. Drop them a note. Let

them know the topic you want to discuss and the level of concern. I

believe this will help counselors prioritize concerns and problems.

KAY ANDERSON

Newport Heights

Rohrabacher’s war strategy is dangerous

I respect Rep. Dana Rohrabacher for all the service he’s done for

our country, but I disagree with his tough talk that we “eliminate

Saddam Hussein” and work for the “termination of the Iraqi

dictatorship with the same strategy that worked so well in

Afghanistan.” It is exactly this U.S. aggressiveness that raises the

Muslim people’s ire. We cannot win a war with extremists -- they

aren’t afraid to die, they would be happy to have a holy war with us

for the next millennium, and it takes only a handful of them to get

our attention, as we have seen. We instead must keep our noses out of

other’s business, and try to learn from other cultures rather than

always imposing the “American Way” on them.

JULES MARINE

Newport Beach