(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . California voters: Why I am Voting Yes on Prop 33 and No on Prop 34 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-10-20 If you live in California, odds are you are being inundated by anti-Prop 33 and pro-Prop 34 commercials to the point of harassment. Indeed, you can’t watch anything on YouTube without being harassed ad nauseam dishonest pleadings trying to manipulate your vote. These ads are financed by slippery special interest property management groups like Blackstone Inc. and Essex Property trust. They want to get you to vote “No” on Prop 33 and “Yes” on Prop 34. Prop 33 would totally repeal the disastrous Costa Hawkings law of 1995, which prevents cities from instituting meaningful rent control laws that could seriously tackle the exorbitant rental rates and price gouging that are displacing thousands upon thousands of Californians ever year at a sickening pace. Simply put, Costa Hawkins is the biggest obstacle for California communities to enforce more effective rent control laws, should they decide to. When voting on a proposition, it is always good policy to look at the ads and notice what institutions want you to vote no. In the case of Prop 33—rather unsurprisingly—it is sleazy special interest groups commanding you to vote no. I exhort all readers here to research Blackstone Group and Essex Property Trust, two scandal-ridden real estate entities that are trying to control your votes like puppetmasters. In an eye-opening expose from CalMatters entitled Corporate Landlord’s California Buying Spree Alarms Tenants, the authors disclosed Blackstone’s disturbing habit of buying out apartment complexes, jacking up the rental rates excessively, forcing tenants to either become homeless or to not have much of a life whatsoever, because the majority of their funds are going to Blackstone’s avaricious coffers. The article details many of the unconscionable hardships Blackstone Inc. has placed on their renters—hardships, in my humble opinion, that ought to be outright illegal: Iraídes González, a single mother of three, also protested in Sacramento. She said she was forced out of her Shady Lane apartment in El Cajon, another San Diego suburb, during the pandemic. González lost her cashier job and lived in a homeless shelter and subsidized housing for about a year. She moved back into the Shady Lane apartments in 2021. In April her rent jumped $200 to $2,500, she said. There are a plethora of negative first-hand accounts about Blackstone Inc. in the aforementioned CalMatters article, which is available here for your perusal: calmatters.org/… Essex Property Trust also have a boatload of complaints against them, and they are no stranger to lawsuits, alleging severely unfair business practices. Reports ClassAction.org: The 80-page case claims Essex Property Trust, Inc., Essex Portfolio, L.P., Essex Management Corporation and Essex SPE, LLC, the owners of 193 residential complexes with approximately 50,000 units in California, unlawfully withhold consumers’ security deposits by charging them for “unsubstantiated work, work not necessary, work not performed and/or not the obligation of the departing tenant under California law,” such as normal wear and tear. My goodness! I feel I need a bath after reading about these allegations. But it gets even worse for Essex. As with Blackstone Inc., I am only skimming the surface of the sordid business practices both entitles blatantly employ. But for a further glimpse into Essex Property Trust’s business ethics (or lack thereof) I highly recommend you check out their official Better Business Bureau page, which has garnered a laughable—get this!--customer satisfaction rating of 1 star out of 5. Writes one unhappy user: I am not liable for this debt with MB360, I do not have a contract with ESSEX PROPERTY TRUST, they did not provide me with the original contract as requested. Yet another complaint below: Essex Property Trust has placed a collection on my credit report for $16,000. This is fraudulent! I have never leased any apartments from this company, and I don't even know who they are! I have tried contacting them by phone and email but have received no response. This needs to be removed from my credit report immediately. And another… Im not liable for this debt with Essex property trust I do not have a contract with Essex property trust they did not provide me with the original contract as I requested Yet another happy camper: I viewed an apartment w/ Essex on April 4th, 2024 and then on April 5th, 2024 I decided to apply for the apartment. I paid $396.00 which included the application fee and the security (hold) deposit. On April 6th I was approved for the apartment but the monthly rent went up in the information that was sent to me. When I tried to reach someone to find out why the rent increased even before I signed a lease I was unable to reach anyone. In fact, 1 number I called was disconnected. The other was a number I could only text but no one answered when I tried to correspond. I am unable to reach anyone regarding refunding the security deposit that was paid. I never received keys, never moved in, never heard back from the leasing company regarding my application. Uh, yeah. I think you get the picture of Blackstone Inc. and Essex Property Trust. The very notion that such unscrupulous organizations as these are forking over millions of dollars to help you get your rent prices lowered by voting No on Prop 33 and Yes on Prop 34 is prima facie absurd. And if you believe such nonsense, I have some ocean-front property in Chandler Arizona I would like to sell to you for 40 dollars…. Now that we are cognizant of the creepy backers against Prop 33, let’s see who is yes on the ballot measure: Cities and Counties: Los Angeles County San Francisco County City of Bell Gardens City of Santa Monica City of West Hollywood Labor Unions: American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 1521 and 2121 California Nurses Association Los Angeles College Faculty Guild UNITE HERE Local 11 United Auto Workers United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers Tenant / Affordable Housing Groups: ACCE Affordable Housing Alliance California Community Landtrust Network California Partnership Action Fund Central City Democrat Coalition for Economic Survival East Bay Tenants Union PAC Housing Is A Human Right Housing Now! Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco Inquilinos Unidos LA Tenants Union Monterey County Renters United National Coalition for the Homeless Oakland Tenants Union Pasadena Tenants Union Pomona United for Sustainable Housing Progressive Democratic Club Progressive Democrats of the San Fernando Valley San Francisco Community Land Trust San Francisco Tenants Union Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights SLO Rent Coalition Strategic Actions For A Just Economy SCANPH - Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing Tenants Together Senior Organizations: California Alliance for Retired Americans Social Security Works Veterans: Veterans Voices Latino Based: CARECEN CHIRLA Dolores Huerta Foundation for Community Organizing East LA Community Corporation HERMANDAD MEXICANA NACIONAL League of United Latin American Citizens SALEF Native American: United Native Americans Climate / Environment: Climate Justice for Africa Los Angeles Ecovillage Institute Health Organizations: AIDS Healthcare Foundation Clinica Romero Healing and Justice Center Mental Health Advocacy Services Economic Justice / Poverty: California Poor People’s Campaign Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) Coalition on Homelessness Inclusive Action For The City Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy LANNE Pomona Economic Opportunity Center SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network) Civic / Voter Engagement: Actum Citizens for Accountable Leadership East Valley Indivisible IDEPSCA IECLT IE Votes Indivisible SF Fusion Is Life Indivisible Sacramento LA Forward Newton’s Law NorCal Resist Northridge Indivisible Santa Monica Forward UHRI Endorsers [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/10/20/2277967/-California-voters-Why-I-am-Voting-Yes-on-Prop-33-and-No-on-Prop-34?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/