Save Lincoln Place Apartments! Venice, California

Write Letters to Save Lincoln Place

We need the support of neighbors and public officials in order to prevail in our struggle to save Lincoln Place. We cannot do it alone!

In addition, media coverage is crucial to Lincoln Place's survival. Please write letters to the media encouraging them to cover our story and thanking them for reporting on our struggle.

This list is a work in progress. Thank you for your patience!

Now is the time to write to our new L.A. Planning Director, Gail Goldberg.

Because of the Lincoln Place tenants who stood up and fought our evictions, other tenants throughout L.A. are now standing up too and protesting. We have heard from tenants in Valley Village, Studio City, Koreatown, Silverlake, and West Hollywood, to name a few.

And they too are writing Gail Goldberg and their local councilmember. Please take the time to write and tell Ms. Goldberg your story.

Tell her what happened to you at Lincoln Place. And tell her the trouble you had finding an apartment, how disruptive the experience was to your life, and anything else you can think to share.

Tell her how our landlord, AIMCO, the largest owner of apartments in the U.S., bought a rent-controlled building with 795 affordable units in Venice, and then used the Ellis Act to evict the tenants claiming they were going out of the rental business at Lincoln Place. Tell her how AIMCO is now telling the community that they want to build over 1,200 new rentals units at market rates.

While this is a statewide problem, every city with rent control is experiencing an epidemic of Ellis Act evictions. This state statute needs to be overturned. It is being abused by landlords and the result will be more homeless. Ask her to assign a task force to look into the abuse of the Ellis Act, the shortage of housing for the middle class, the city's inability to stop demolition of rent controlled units and to stop the conversion of rentals into condominiums.

We need better planning at the City level. Otherwise our City governments are weak and dependent on developer's money to finance their campaigns. The City's see the destruction of these older rental units as additional short-term revenue from demolition and building permits, sales tax revenues and other revenues generated from the building industry. It is time for a change.

Write your letter today and email her at: gail.goldberg@planning.lacity.org

Your voice can make a difference.

Please write to Senator Dianne Feinstein about the shortage of rental housing in Los Angeles. Write directly to her San Francisco office and outline specifically how she can help you.

Tell her your story about what happened to you at Lincoln Place. And tell her the trouble you had finding an apartment, how disruptive the experience was to your life, and anything else you can think to share.

Tell her how our landlord, AIMCO, the largest owner of apartments in the U.S., bought a rent-controlled building with 795 affordable units in Venice, and then used the Ellis Act to evict the tenants claiming they were going out of the rental business at Lincoln Place. Tell her how AIMCO is now telling the community that they want to build over 1,200 new rentals units at market rates.

This is a statewide problem, not just in LA. Every city with rent control is experiencing an epidemic of Ellis Act evictions. This state statute needs to be overturned. It is being abused by landlords and the result will be more homeless. Ask her to assign a task force to look into the abuse of the Ellis Act, the shortage of housing for the middle class, the city's inability to stop demolition of rent-controlled units and to stop the conversion of rentals into condominiums.

We need state action because our City governments are weak and dependent on developer's money to finance their campaigns. The cities also see additional short-term revenue from demolition and building permits, sales tax revenues and other revenues generated from the building industry.

Write your letter today or call her at:

Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Or call (415) 393-0707
Fax (415) 393-0710

Your voice can make a difference.

Write letters NOW to support California Senate Bill 1834!

Click here for more information, a sample letter, and a contact list

Public officials to write with your concerns about affordable housing:

L.A. Councilman Bill Rosendahl (District 11)
L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo

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