Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 68, No. 11 - March 14, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................5
Real Estate...........................8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
69˚/52˚
Saturday
Sunny
72˚/54˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
73˚/56˚
The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Inglewood Police Donate Books
for Read Across America Day
A huge thank you went out to the Inglewood Police Department for participating in Read Across America day. The Inglewood Police Officers Association and the Inglewood Police Management Association
donated books for the children at Beulah Payne Elementary. Officers volunteered reading books to all the school children. The books will be at the school library for children to read and enjoy for years.
Photo: Inglewood PD.
City Approves Emergency
Measure to Stop Local Rent Hikes
By Haleemon Anderson
Inglewood residents are safe from exorbitant
rent hikes and evictions for the next six
weeks, as the City Council banned landlords
from increasing rents more than five percent at
last week’s meeting. The emergency ordinance
takes effect immediately. It is targeted to apartment
buildings built before 1995. It excludes
single-family homes and condos and may be
extended up to one year.
The initiative was brought by Mayor James
T. Butts. It passed with unanimous support, 5-0,
after Councilmember Eloy Morales asked the
mayor to accept an amendment. The ordinance
was modified to bar evictions except in the
case of criminality, drug use or non-payment.
The 45-day moratorium comes after months
of debate and protests at council meetings.
Residents and community activists kept the
issue alive during public comment and waged
a significant grassroots movement, organizing
rallies, advocacy events and legal assistance. The
City of Inglewood ultimately responded with a
survey, asking residents to record incidents of
excessive increases. The survey was available
online for 60 days.
During public comments, several representatives
from Uplift Inglewood Coalition expressed
elation, and reserve, at the Council’s action.
The group has been a vocal and organized
proponent for tenants’ rights, advocating for
affordable housing within the city.
Jelani Hendrix, an organizer with UIC,
acknowledged the measure as a very important
“first step.” He urged the Council to go
further, saying residents are still vulnerable
unless permanent protections are put in place.
Sisters Tiffany and Julia Wallace cautioned
the Council to heed the voice of residents.
“The residents want rent control, most of
Inglewood supported Prop 10,” said Tiffany.
“It’s necessary for our survival.”
In fact, Proposition 10, known as the Affordable
Housing Act, did win in Inglewood, while
missing the mark to become statewide law last
November. Sixty-five percent of Inglewood
resident are renters.
Pastor Victor Franklin of 1st United Methodist
Church said the measure is a step in the right
direction. Natalie Menev, a staff attorney at
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA),
said her office advocates for tenants’ rights.
“We’ve had an unprecedented number of
people from Inglewood coming to our offices
with astronomical rent increases,” said Menev.
Resident Rodney Davis noted that he has
lived in town since 1987. “Housing may not be
a human right,” he said, while also describing
buying his first home at the age of 24 after
considering a move to Lancaster.
Antonio Hicks, a staff attorney with Public
Council, said he and a team of lawyers worked
with Uplift Inglewood to craft a workable plan
for rent stabilization. He asked the Council to
review the document and consider it in future
plans. “Every one of the tenant protections in
the proposal ordinance is legally defensible or
has been implemented in another jurisdiction.
It is worth considering.” said Hicks.
Kruti Parekh, a resident and activist, went
further in requesting the Council to partner
with Uplift Inglewood. “This is an opportunity
for the City to really work closely with Uplift
Inglewood -- we are on the same page,” she
said. She also urged the City to acknowledge
the work done by UIC to protect residents, especially
in outreach. Parekh said she responded
to the City’s survey after being notified of it by
Uplift Inglewood. The group held workshops
to help residents fill out the online documents.
“There is a lot of work that has already been
done. It’s a chance to work collectively and use
the resources that you have to make Inglewood
truly a great city,” said Parekh.
Mayor Butts agreed to receive the report. He
explained the Council’s position in leading up
to the moratorium, saying he had received two
emails of rent increases – one of 40 percent
and the other at 138 percent. After discovering
a new owner had bought both buildings, Butts
negotiated an agreement to rescind the increase
temporarily and provide several options for
the tenants. “That’s what got our attention,”
he said. “There is a social cost when things
change. This would have forced 70 people to
have to leave. Butts added, “We have to figure
out something that’s fair, that doesn’t take away
people’s property rights to own a property and
make a profit. But we will not allow apartment
buildings to be emptied out en masse.”
After that incident, the Council launched the
Web-based survey out of curiosity if this was
happening throughout the city, according to
Butts. The mayor commented that Inglewood
has more affordable housing and lower rents
than average for this area. He conceded the
trend toward rising housing costs in Los
Angeles and California, while acknowledging
the booming entertainment and athletics
development at Century and Prairie will likely
add to the housing crunch. “This was coming,
with Inglewood becoming a hot commodity,”
said Butts.
City Clerk Yvonne Horton requested the
meeting be adjourned in honor of Patricia
McNish, a 10-year City employee from the
Clerk’s Office. Long-time resident Tanya Jefferson
and Sergeant Tim Bauer, who passed
recently, were also honored.
The Inglewood City Council meets every
Tuesday, unless otherwise noted, at 2 p.m. in
the council chambers on the 9th floor, Inglewood
City Hall. •