The West Hollywood Renter’s Alliance, a new organization founded to represent renters, is holding its first meeting tonight.
The group will meet at 7 p.m. at the Phyllis Morris Furniture Showroom at 655 N. Robertson Blvd, south of Santa Monica. The meeting is open to the public.
“Founded by local activists and business owner Amanda Hyde, the West Hollywood Renters Alliance plans to unify and activate the renter community in West Hollywood, which accounts for nearly 80% of the city,” the WHRA said in an announcement of the meeting. It said the group’s mission is to “Protect and empower current and future renters in creating a more inclusive community.”
West Hollywood became incorporated as a city in 1984 after Larry Gross and the Coalition for Economic Survival organized a coalition of renters, senior citizens and gay people to petition L.A. County for independence. The city quickly established a rent control law to limit the ability of landlords to raise apartment rents. However in 1995 the state legislature passed the Costa-Hawkins Act, which limits the ability of cities to restrict rent increases. West Hollywood now is one of a few city’s in California that has a “rent stabilization” system, which limits annual rent increases according to a formula based on the consumer price index but allows a landlord to increase the rent to the market rate when a tenant vacates the apartment.
Some of the city’s most politically active residents are those opposed to building new apartments in West Hollywood. Those residents have been major backers of candidates such as Lauren Meister and, to some degree, John D’Amico in their successful runs for City Council seats.
Amanda Hyde, who founded WHRA, said it is intended to give renters a voice.
“Through education, conversation and community building, the WHRA plans to advocate for adding responsible housing, inform renters of their rights, help voters become more engaged and provide a critical perspective from renters to the growing conversation around housing.”
The first meeting will take place at the Phyllis Morris Furniture Showroom, 655 N. Robertson, from 7-9pm. All members of the public are welcome.
Did anything substantive come from this meeting?
It is indeed the same anti-NIMBY.
It is the same person.
Wish I had seen this article and these posts sooner.
This sounds like a pro-developer group. The activists don’t seem to be opposed to new apartments, more like opposed to luxury condos replacing rent controlled units.
West Hollywood tenants and landlords are always welcome to come to the City of West Hollywood Rent Stabilization Commission meetings, held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, 7 p.m. in Council chambers and speak during public comment, which occurs at the beginning and end of each meeting. The commission is always interested in hearing any issues/concerns about rent stabilized housing in The City, but it has no authority over non-rent stabilized units, inclusionary/affordable units or any construction issues that might result the loss or gain of affordable housing–those issues are better addressed to City staff or City… Read more »
Is this the same person who described people opposing the demolition of rent controlled buildings to make way for luxury housing, NIMBYS? Maybe the first thing this new organization can fight for is meaningful protections against tenant harassment. Our current “protections” leave a lot to be desired.