We ask this question for a simple reason.
Years ago Dave Golonski wanted Burbank to get rid of the old R5 zoning code that allowed the construction of huge mega-apartment projects, and on the very night of the city council’s hearing on the topic the local landlords and realtors’ associations managed to completely pack the chambers with out-of-town property owners.
And oh, did their tears flow.
Again, how many of the opponents were from Burbank?
The Burbank City Council met before a full house of residents on Tuesday, with even more Burbankers queued outside of City Hall chambers and down the stairs into the lobby, eager to speak on the topic of rent control and tenant protections across the city.
More than 100 residents made statements during the meeting’s two public comment periods, with about half advocating for stricter tenant protections and the other half opposing them, according to Vice Mayor Nikki Perez’s count.
Oh, these poor landlords. They’re all levying on their tenants the (once unheard of until a few years ago) 8.5 percent annual rent increase as a regular deal now and it’s still not enough for them.
Surprise surprise.
We knew when this California CPI+ 5 percent “rent control” law was first passed that the use-it-or-lose-it part was going to cause every landlord in the state to be sure not to lose it. And now these big annual increases of close to 10 percent have become the norm. Just listen to all the local horror stories now that are coming from the tenants’ groups.
Though a cap on rent hikes was the trending topic of the evening, the Council ultimately said it wasn’t ready to approve such a policy.
“If we are going to ask a question about rent control, let’s be incredibly direct,” said Mayor Nick Schultz. “At least then you actually have an answer that you can either note and file, and not take any action on, or you can put it on the ballot. Right now, it’s sort of chicken or the egg. There is nothing we could go to the voters with.”
The council could initiate rent control on its own. Other nearby cities have. Schultz is being disingenuous here. The state rent control law is not working out — in fact, it has backfired on tenants.
Burbank is such a piss-poor excuse for a town. It needs rent control because these ridiculous annual increases have become unsustainable, but you have a numb-nuts group of “progressive” council members that are more concerned about the Tongvas and the out-of-town Latino figureheads that they can give feel-good awards to than they are the people around them who have real problems.
No, it’s the bitter truth. They’re worse than useless. They’re hopeless.
The solution?
Move. There are much better and more civilized places to live than Burbank California.
Burbank, California 