Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray
The Anaheim City Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted the “Quality Rental Housing Program” a rental housing code enforcement ordinance – an initiative that Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray has pursued for at least a year now. From the staff report:
The goal of the Quality Rental Housing Program is to provide safe and healthy units and neighborhoods. One important component of the Program is the routine, periodic survey of rental housing units. These surveys will allow the City to identify, and work with owners to correct code violations that result in:
• Unsanitary, unsafe and /or unhealthful living conditions
• Threats to the structural integrity of buildings
• Deferred maintenance of structures
Initially, apartment owners will be required complete a self-assessment questionnaire of best management practices:
If an owner indicates that he/she employs at least 90% of the common management techniques, and that all units on the property comply with minimum standards, the City will visit the property to evaluate the exterior of the units. If the exterior is in compliance with City standards, the property will be deemed in compliance with the program and issued a Safe Home Certificate. These owners will pay no fees as a result of their participation in the program, other than Business License fees that are already required when an owner has more than four rental properties in the City.
if an owner falls short of the 90% mark, the city will schedule an inspection of a determined number of units. If any violations found are fixed within a set timeframe, the owner will face no penalties or fees. If not, owners will face fines.
Pretty straightforward and reasonable – not that the usual critics aren’t already finding fault with it. Gabriel San Roman of the OC Weekly assailed it as an secret assault on the poor, because the questionnaire asks such insidious and anti-poor person questions such as whether there are more people living in a rental unit than are listed on the lease, or allowed under occupancy limits – because we all know the best thing for poor people is for them to live in over-crowded, unsanitary squalor.
They are never happy. An effort initiated so individuals live in clean and decent living arrangements is apparently a bad thing.
My dear friend Alma Ramirez is very pleased with this new requirement. She brought slumlord conditions to the attention of Tom Daly and Lou Correa in 2001 and they did nothing to help renters in our city. Thank you Council Member Murray!
Heavily subsidized luxury hotels are interrelated with slums. Once the GardenWalk hotels go up, they’ll be staffed by poverty wage earning workers who can only put a roof over their head by ‘overcrowding’ an apartment in Anaheim.
Kris Murray is a slumlord.
Where did you read that – in Das Kapital?
Gabriel, Piolin says be grateful!
Gabriel San Roman is insane. Anaheim’s high end hotels are staffed with union labor – and the unemployed in Anaheim are hoping for the work – construction and staffing – new hotels will provide. And given your penchant for shoddy journalism – NOTHING in our ordinance or its implementation will limit occupancy. OC Weekly peddles bold faced lies – next to their adds for escort services!
The ordinance pointed to the questionnaire which heavily emphasized numerous questions about occupancy as it relates to overcrowding. The October 2012 multi-department meeting when such a program was first broached wanted to “champion” state laws on occupancy restrictions and other fascinating notes to illustrate that city staff wasn’t all too concerned about the poor. Enough nonsense already.
So if there are occupancy laws, they shoudnt be enforced due to income level?
The council led my mayor pro tem Murray openly rejected the questionnaire. You are making this up as you go and blaming our officials for a draft they didn’t create. You have no objectivity and should be honest about it.
Way to go Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray. You are actually doing something for the community beyond the absolute CRAP and hell Tait is dishing out. Kudos to you!
I don’t know where my previous comment went so let me properly restate that in October 2012 Murray passed along goals to Vander Dussen that included championing *changes* to state law. The resulting discussion on that issue centered on occupancy limits. The devil’s in the documents, not the discourse. Take the critical reporting. And yes, it exercises a ‘preferential option for the poor.’ I make no bones about it.
You just refuse to be honest. There were internal staff documents that discussed hurdles to going after slum lords – and there are limits to inspecting properties in state law. You blaming any member of the council for internal staff emails and discussions proves your bias. This was a good thing for Anaheim. Our staff and residents are proud we were able to get this ordinance and program in place. You are just trumping up allegations to attack for political gain. Be honest about it.