HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-17-2016 Item 21, FoleyCOUNCIL MEETING: 0. 1'Z —ZOO
ITEM NO.: g- 1
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To: Maier, John Paul
Subject: RE: Public Comments for agenda item 21 on Rental Housing Ordinance Review
From: Jim Foley [
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 3:25 AM
To: E-mail Council Website
Subject: Public Comments for agenda item 21 on Rental Housing Ordinance Review
Council Members and Mayor,
It seems only fitting that on the day you are reviewing the rental housing inspection ordinance you also welcome 4 new
inspectors and code enforcement officials. It's only our money. It's just one more step in making sure the poor and
middle income residents get pushed out of San Luis Obispo. Just one more step in making us all one deed restricted
neighborhood. An Orange county where all the houses can look the same. Congratulations, you're almost there.
I already know 2 families forced out by this ordinance and it has not even taken effect yet. One of them, a single dad,
raised his daughter in a 2 room granny unit for the 25 years that I have know him. Luckily his daughter is off to college
so it was just the father who had to pack up his life and move out of town. The land lady could never afford to face the
possible fees associated with the granny house. Another family stopped renting to a hotel maid for the same reason.
I'm sure plenty more are to come. What they will all have in common is that those affected will all be poor and middle
class, and most of them will just continue to be forced out of town.
Proactive code enforcement has already blazed it way through town under the guise of neighborhood wellness.
Originally brought to you as a way to keep the college parties in check, instead it now targets boat owners who have
parked their boat for years along side their driveway and people whose trash cans are visible from the street. It brings
us new city employees, vehicles, paperwork and fines. It brings us one step closer to being Orange county. But maybe
that's the goal.
So the "Happiest City" is only happy if you have the deep pockets for it. I've heard all the comments from city spokes
people that "it is just for safety violations" and "it's for the tenants own good". And let's not forget "the extra sales tax
isn't for pay raises or aditional employees" How many times have I heard City spokes people say that? The spoken word
means nothing in these matters if the ordinance reads differently. I'm tired of the City doing what's "for my own good".
I'm tired of a city that tickets the homeless living in cars and will only help those homeless willing to sign over their social
security checks. I even hate the no smoking outside ordinance and I don't even smoke. Just park downtown on a Friday
or Saturday night and watch hundreds of drunk college kids smoke and walk right by the police. We wouldn't want to
chase away the college dollars. But if a homeless person lights up, look out, here come the sirens.
I don't even have a horse in this race. I own my own home and don't rent it out. But I am tired of watching the city
steam roll over the less fortunate among us. I stood by and watched as sleeping in you car became illegal and I did
nothing because I have a home. I did nothing about the no smoking ordinance because I didn't smoke. I did nothing to
protest the proactive neighborhood wellness code enforcement because I was just too busy. If I do nothing about this
ordinance, then when they finally come for me I deserve whatever fate they have in store for me. I'm not going to wait
until they expand the program to those us that work in our homes or tele -commute. I am not going to wait until they
demand inspections of every home in town. Though I cannot be there in person to deliver this message I would like this
added to the record for the 5/17/2016 meeting. My next message I imagine will the one delivered on November 8th.
Jim Foley
36 year resident of San Luis Obispo