Displaying a bright “Class War 2.0″ banner, the group marched peacefully up Valencia and then turned on 22nd before stopping in front of Lolo Cevicheria for an impromptu rally. The speaker made an interesting point regarding rent control that I had failed to previously consider. Namely, that while families without the fortune of living in rent-controlled apartments are forced to move after their rent gets dramatically increased, people who do actually dwell in rent-controlled spots suffer from landlords who refuse to fix anything except for the most necessary (read: legally-required) repairs.
Many families are terrified of even asking their landlords to perform important maintenance within their apartments out of fear that they will notice some sort of technicality within their living space that would provide means for eviction. Imagine dealing with that constant level of fear every day of your life, where any sort of misstep could be used against you.
Sadly, I just see this situation getting worse and worse.
This is all Economics 101 shit, where you learn that rent control is bullshit and terrible. It’s shocking to me that every 19 year old econ major understands this, and yet San Francisco politicians don’t.
Just because you repeat a tautology ad nauseum, doesn’t make it true. Yes, neo-classical economics frequently rails against rent control. However, neo-classical economics has prove to be a bankrupt and fraudulent methodology, incapable of predicting future events, and bereft of solutions to the repeated crises neo-classical economics engender.
Neo-classical economists are wrong about almost everything, but they provide nice models that explain why we must deregulate everything and hand over all our money to the rich. These models break down as soon as you add a third variable, thus prompting the haunting call of the wild neo-classical economist: “ceteris paribus! ceteris paribus!”
awesome
@two beears: Just because you repeat something ad nauseam (and without any factual support) doesn’t make it true either.
OMM is right — the effects we are seeing are entirely predictable by econ 101. Price controls always bring out effects like this. That doesn’t mean we have to repeal rent control or deregulate; it just means that we shouldn’t be surprised by the effects of rent control.
Rent control = Ghettoization
Sorry, Sorry Ass Americans, I only rent to foreigners on work visas who i know will be leaving in a year or two. Especially if I turn them in to “La Migra”
Thanx for the idea!
Rent control is the devil’s work.
“Many families are terrified of asking their landlords to perform maintenance out of fear that they will notice some technicality that would provide means for eviction. Imagine dealing with that constant level of fear every day of your life, where any sort of misstep could be used against you.”
Many of these families signed up for this lifestyle when they crossed the border illegally.
You know you couldn’t be much wronger?
Where did you learn the word “wronger”?
In some Turd World Shithole that you are trying to re-create here?
Get outta here w that racist stuff. You sound crazy.
The irony here is as rich as the people who own the condos.
These condos sold for $1400/sqft only because the very folks now protesting gentrification won a hugely important cultural victory. No small number of very wealthy people are now happy to pay top dollar to live in walkable, diverse, transit-friendly urban neighborhoods. They’ll pay top dollar to live in these neighborhoods even if high taxes, poor public schools, and addled bums on the stoop–or protestors in the street–are part of the package. Needless to say, their forefathers and foremothers would not have.
So here’s hoping the next rally in the streets is a victory celebration. Oh right, that’s Sunday Street–tomorrow! Enjoy!
Editor- don’t be a twit. So you expect a landlord to do extra repairs for some low rent hoarding tenant? How about the asshole pay market rent, then sure the LL is happy to fix things. And as far as the poor tenant being scared to ask for repairs, well exxcccuuuseee meeee! Ain’t you saving hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of dollars every fucking month with you low rent? Fix your own fucking toilet!
How come I never run across these god damned protesters when walking around? I’ll ream the a new asshole!
KILL WHITEY!!!
Kill Nigga Jim X and his family!
DONT MESS WITH THE FAMLY! SEE HOW YOU GOT SERVED!
If you are gonna troll this hard, use proper grammar, please. It’s hard to understand your hate when you write like a 4 year old.
Fixing a toilet is not part of “extra repairs”. That’s standard maintenance. As is making sure sinks are working, windows are intact, etc. I agree that no one under rent control should be asking for new carpet, new paint, etc. But if you’re a landlord, providing the basics is part of the deal.
how about instead of being a scumbag slumlord, you sell your rental properties in SF and go elsewhere. i’m sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to buy them. You knew about rent control when you bought your property which is appreciating in value by the minute, maybe you can pay someone to mop up your tears as you cry all the way to the bank.
Most new buyers have no interest in remaining in the rental business. There’s just too much demand for owner-occupied housing in SF.
Thanks asshole, but I don’t have low rent scum tenants like you. Mine pay market rent
. So yeah, Cha Ching for me. And, I’m damn happy with rent cuntrol, as it keeps my market rents up, up, and up! Thanks supervisor Crapos, etc., for further restricting SF’s housing supply.
Nice to see the trolls are out.
the inherent racism on display in most of the comments so far is a sad indication of the dramatic shift occurring in this neighborhood
Its all part of the Ghettoization that rent control brought us.
Affirmative action did not bring UP the black man, it brought DOWN the white man. (Where’s MY free shit?)
Check a sidewalk, you’ll find your well-deserved free shit.
Brought to us by Ghettoization, Rent Control and Affirmative Action. (Uh, Progressives)
Wow, you are highly disturbed.
You sound as if someone interrupted your furious masturbation session to Atlas Shrugged.
The thing I can’t believe about San Francisco rent control is how rich techies are allowed to abuse it. Why isn’t there some kind of means testing? There’s a shuttle riding douche in my building paying less than half of what everyone else pays. He keeps his extra bedroom empty to work on his bike. Such a fucking insane broken system.
you’re thinking of BMR housing, which does exist, but it also broken.
At least he isn’t profiting like other duchies out there by renting it out at market rate to reduce his own rent. Sounds like a good guy to me.
This is actually illegal (despite the fact that many people do it.) http://www.sfrb.org/index.aspx?page=1043
Cry me a fucking river fucko. You knew what you were getting into when you got into the landlord business. Don’t like it? Sell your shithole and GTFO!!!
Sorry, i bought in 1989 before rent control on 2 unit buildings. They changed the rules in the middle of the game. No worries, i make so much bank, i retired in 2000 and travel the world on my renters dime.
Shithole? I’m paid off, take in 5 G’s a month and live rent free.
HAHAHAHAHA You Whiney Loser
PS, My taxes pay for your free and much needed therapy.
I don’t know, friend, it looks like you are the one doing all the whining. Don’t like the rules? Then sell and quit complaining! The only thing preventing you from doing so is your own stupidity.
The reading on the bullshit meter is: Off the Charts.
@JJ: Landlords selling out won’t solve anything. The economics don’t change. A new landlord will act just like the old landlord. With rent control it just doesn’t make sense to do anything more than the minimum level of maintenance on occupied units. And, there is a tremendous incentive to try to move out long term tenants. Those are the fact that all landlords deal with. They may have gone into the business knowing those facts, but that doesn’t change the facts. So there is no reason for you to get all upset when those facts are explained to you. And don’t whine about landlord not being all nicey, nicey when those are the facts.
San Francisco will never means test rent control – too many wealthy tenants benefit from the status quo.
Wow, SFGate worthy commenting here. Bet none of them even live within 200 miles of here.
I think it shows the attitude of the personally responsible, logical, overtaxed (for what?), crime weary new citizens of this fine burb.
All the while, feeling persecuted for getting an education, not having drug and alcohol dependencies, criminal records and baby mama drama.
“Bitch Slap”
Re landlord comments on SF Gate: they’re sickening. Landlords are filthy, lazy scum.
Well, not all of them.
But a disproportionate number, surely.
The question is, are sick people drawn to landlording, or does landlording make people sick?
Or both?
Landlording makes people sick of parasitic slackers such as yourself.
But Hell, I am sure even your family and friends are sick of your lazy alcoholic ass.
Why are landlords that provide you housing parasites? Do you really expect people to provide you with basic necessities for free? do you work for free?
You like me, right?
you mean the smooth entrance to your rectum? yeah, it’s good!
Faggot
That’s not fair! He might not have noticed you weren’t a “real” woman until he felt his balls banging against yours! And even then, in the dark, he might have mistaken the tiny things for over-sized labia!
The process is irreversible. I remember this in Manhattan in the late 90s,then Williamsburg in the mid to early 2000s. Wall Street journal recently named the mission and williamsburgh as some of the top hipster places. Apartments in that Brooklyn area go for far more than here, and at the high end of even the Manhattan scale. Like being lumped in with the wall Street journals understanding of what hip?
Time to move to Portland, sure it’s basically a suburb, spread out as shit, but it’s kind of cool, your friends are already there. Or Detroit
I’ve said it before: if you want to see what Valencia Street will look like in 10 years, Google “Belltown Seattle”. If you don’t want to live in a place like that, start looking elsewhere, because there is nothing you can do about it. Aside from taking the advice of some wall-scribblers and trolls, and killing everybody you don’t like, which will eventually land you in a cell with some low-income people, I guess.
It’s déjà vu all over again; I read the same article accompanied by the same comments back in 1999.
As I recall, that was a parking lot.
Now we have more housing.
And the developer has probably given millions to a BMR trust fund.
A pertinent question might be “what happened to the money?” The protest might achieve more if it asked that question of Ed and other elected officials as forcefully as its hating on people who now live in the neighbourhood.
This whole controversy is surreal. It seems to consist entirely of whining, on all sides, about the sometimes unfortunate effects of prosperity. Nobody is providing real solutions (if there even are any), nobody is making reasonable proposals, and the article, the protests, and these comments are utterly bereft of substantive discourse. People can’t even fully identify the problem consistently.
The Mission, and the greater Bay Area, are tremendously prosperous. Booming, even. There is no housing/rent scheme that is going to make for cheap apartments in the Mission. By definition, the desirable areas are going to cost more. It’s unfortunate for people who can’t afford it, but put this in context. In most of the country, their “Mission Streets” consist of boarded up shops, closed years ago because of Wal-Marts and lack of jobs. Would we prefer that? Rents are low there, after all. Is that better than slightly-out-of-control prosperity?
In any case, if you’re going to protest, or get worked up over whatever the hell is going on, at least clearly identify the problem, and what realistic solution you propose to address it.
Like, move to west Oakland and stop whining about SF prices.