Landlords

Costa Mesa recently established a partnership with a nonprofit organization that helps resolve issues of fair housing and disputes between landlords and tenants. The Fair Housing Foundation looks to prevent housing discrimination — based on race, gender, sexual orientation or age. The Fair Housing Council in Santa Ana was in charge of such responsibilities for Costa Mesa, but city officials decided it was time for change. “We just decided that we wanted to go out and try a new company,” said Muriel Ullman, Costa Mesa’s neighborhood improvement manager.

Deirdre Newman Two community organizations have joined forces to focus attention on providing more affordable housing and eliminating substandard apartment conditions. St. Joachim Catholic Church and the Orange County Congregation Community Organizations started working together in September. One of the main priorities is to create standards that landlords would have to adhere to when renting out their apartments. There is a need to hold landlords more accountable to ensure a higher quality of life for apartment tenants, said Alma Marquez, senior organizer with the county group.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- At its study session today, the City Council will review a revised proposal that would require landlords to evict tenants who commit drug- or gang-related crimes. Costa Mesa Police Department staff recommended an ordinance establishing a crime eviction program in May, but the council denied the program and asked the staff to revise the proposal. Councilmen Gary Monahan and Chris Steel were in favor of the original proposal but said they have not yet reviewed the revision.

Last week Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill banning landlords from asking tenants about their immigration status. How did you vote on this legislation and why?   I voted no on Assembly Bill 976, which passed 44-25 on the Assembly floor without the support of a single Republican. This bill infringes on local elected officials’ authority as they seek reasonable ways to partner with federal immigration authorities to better enforce laws. In addition, some apartment owners may wish to conduct their own immigration status checks as illegal immigration status may be a risk factor for non-payment of rent or for improperly exceeding occupancy limits.

As the tenant and operator of Kona Lanes at Mesa Verde Center since 1980, my family and I wish to express our deep appreciation for the patronage of our loyal customers during our long history at this location. We are also pleased that many people have fond memories of hours passed here in earlier, more vibrant times. Regrettably, however, Kona Lanes will close its doors this summer, due to the economic reality of our situation, regardless of whether or not the Planning Commission's approval of Kohl's is overturned by the City Council.

-- Deepa Bharath Police arrested the owners of two Bristol Street massage parlors Wednesday night on suspicion of prostitution and operating without a permit, authorities said. Mea Ok Mun, 43, and Nuwee Wattanakaew, 47, were taken into custody after a random inspection, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Don Holford. Police said the names of the businesses were not available Friday. Police found evidence of the businesses operating illegally without permits, said Holford.

Clean up substandard housing conditions Some years ago when Joe Erickson was on the Costa Mesa City Council, I asked him why the city could not go in and check apartments for substandard conditions and make the landlords clean them up ("Code proposal triggers debate," Sept. 19). At that time, Erickson told me the city did not have the right unless the renters complained and my reply was, "What, and be kicked out for complaining?" Make the landlords live in the condition that they did in Los Angeles.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- There was a hint of the debate to come as the City Council on Monday discussed its concerns about a proposal to require landlords to evict tenants who commit drug- or gang-related crimes. Costa Mesa Police Department staff recommended an ordinance establishing a crime eviction program in May, but the council denied the proposal and asked the staff to revise it. The revised proposal adds requirements that an arrest occur before landlords are required to evict a tenant, that the city attorney's office review the matter before a violation notice is sent to a landlord and that a landlord be granted 30 days to evict a tenant or file an appeal to the city, instead of the 15 days previously proposed.

Paul Clinton Back in 1996, Carrie Stevens needed a break. Fresh out of an abusive relationship, Stevens found herself in a battered women's shelter with her daughter, Paige. With a little help from the good Samaritans at Human Options, the group that ran the shelter, Stevens secured a low-income Section 8 housing voucher that put her on the path to a string of dwellings in Eastside Costa Mesa. "It's been a godsend," Stevens said. "Out of a horrible situation, a good thing happened."

I'm writing you to express my concerns with proposed ordinance, the "Loud and Unruly Gathering" ordinance. I understand that at times loud parties can be an annoyance to anyone in the immediate area, and I also understand that the ordinance aims to protect those people. But if you approve this ordinance, Newport Beach will ultimately be deterring a very small group of people who wish to either host, or participate in, "loud and unruly gatherings," compared with the amount of people whose rights will be infringed upon by an ordinance that gives officers even more power based almost solely on discretion alone.

COSTA MESA — Robert "Zeb" Ziemer, owner of the famed Goat Hill Tavern and landlord of The Helm next door, says he's not going down without a pint, er, fight. The Helm, whose owner told the Daily Pilot he was shuttering the dive bar on Newport Boulevard at the end of August, is being sued by John F. Fackler under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Fackler's lawsuit accuses The Helm of violating the act, enacted in 1990, and has named Ziemer, 80, and Helm owner Myron Miller as defendants.

I'm writing you to express my concerns with proposed ordinance, the "Loud and Unruly Gathering" ordinance. I understand that at times loud parties can be an annoyance to anyone in the immediate area, and I also understand that the ordinance aims to protect those people. But if you approve this ordinance, Newport Beach will ultimately be deterring a very small group of people who wish to either host, or participate in, "loud and unruly gatherings," compared with the amount of people whose rights will be infringed upon by an ordinance that gives officers even more power based almost solely on discretion alone.

NEWPORT BEACH — The land has been home to reverends, magicians, booksellers, Elks and city bureaucrats. Now, a group of Newport Beach property owners wants to see if they should all coexist, or if they can find a better mix. Two private landlords and the city are planning a comprehensive study of the area that encompasses the current City Hall site and Lido Marina Village. They're looking for a unified land plan to revive the 17 acres of long-dormant retail and office space.

In the warm afternoon sunlight, Kim Moss stood at the door of the Costa Mesa Omelette Parlor recalling the time when she brought her 3-year-old son, Nick, and his grandfather, Frank, to the beloved restaurant. Now Nick is 30, and the place he grew up with will not longer be there. “We are sad, we’re all sad to see the place close,” said Moss, who worked there as a waitress for years and will have to look for another job. Vons, which owns the shopping center at 179 E. 17th St., home of the Omelette Parlor for 27 years, served the eatery with a 30-day notice to vacate, said Omelette Parlor owner Susan Adkins.

Costa Mesa recently established a partnership with a nonprofit organization that helps resolve issues of fair housing and disputes between landlords and tenants. The Fair Housing Foundation looks to prevent housing discrimination — based on race, gender, sexual orientation or age. The Fair Housing Council in Santa Ana was in charge of such responsibilities for Costa Mesa, but city officials decided it was time for change. “We just decided that we wanted to go out and try a new company,” said Muriel Ullman, Costa Mesa’s neighborhood improvement manager.

BALBOA ISLAND — When Gail Hammerschmidt bought the Sandpiper variety store five years ago, she knew the business was rife with history. Neighbors on the island gifted her with black-and-white photos of the shop going back to the 1930s, and the new owner proudly displayed them on the walls inside. That history, though, may come to an end soon. The Sandpiper’s new landlord, according to Hammerschmidt, has boosted her rent substantially, and the business plans to move when its lease expires in September.

A group of tenants at a Costa Mesa shopping center has rallied against the center’s management team, which they said has failed to promote their businesses adequately and attempted to evict an outspoken shop owner. Don Logan, co-owner of Waterfront Furnishings in the South Coast Home Furnishings Centre, said the landlords targeted him in retaliation for criticizing them and for leading his own public relations campaign for himself and other merchants. The owners’ case against him is scheduled for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, and Logan has subpoenaed a number of other business owners to testify on his behalf.

Last week Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill banning landlords from asking tenants about their immigration status. How did you vote on this legislation and why?   I voted no on Assembly Bill 976, which passed 44-25 on the Assembly floor without the support of a single Republican. This bill infringes on local elected officials’ authority as they seek reasonable ways to partner with federal immigration authorities to better enforce laws. In addition, some apartment owners may wish to conduct their own immigration status checks as illegal immigration status may be a risk factor for non-payment of rent or for improperly exceeding occupancy limits.

When Maria Saaveri looks at the large bulletin board on the wall of her West 19th Street taqueria, she has only one explanation for the dozens of "Room for Rent" fliers tacked in place. "People are afraid," she said. "And they're leaving Costa Mesa." Saaveri thinks the city's new immigration policy is causing Latino residents to relocate to places like Santa Ana, Anaheim and even out-of-state, creating high vacancy rates on the city's Westside that is frustrating local landlords.

For lease: 4 acres of prime Costa Mesa real estate. Terms: $480,000 per year for 35 years.The Coast Community College District has put four acres of property next to its Costa Mesa headquarters up for lease, aiming to bring in nearly half a million dollars a year in revenues. Between now and Jan. 27, the district will accept sealed proposals for the property, which is near Adams Avenue and Pinecreek Drive at the back of a larger parcel. The board of trustees has proposed the starting payment of the 35-year lease at $480,000 per year, money that district officials said could go to educational funds, retirement benefits or other purposes.