At the July 5, 2016 Lakewood City Council Public Hearing concerning the proposed – and controversial – Rental Inspection Program (RIP), the prelude to public comment was a video by KIRO 7 News Investigative Reporter Jesse Jones involving a landlord/tenant complaint in the Laurel Gardens apartments located in the Woodbrook neighborhood-portion of Lakewood.
Ironically, according to Jesse’s contact page, he will not investigate landlord/tenant complaints:
“Except in extremely rare cases he will not investigate disputes between businesses, family law disputes, criminal issues, malpractice complaints, landlord/tenant complaints, or issues with employment/unemployment.”
So then how did the public airing of this “extremely rare case” on KIRO (March 16, 2016), and subsequent presentation at the public hearing (July 5, 2016), come about?
Beginning last year, but with accelerating emphasis since mid-February and March of this year, Lakewood is now in the final stages of implementing a required inspection of rentals – and there are 13,700 units in the city – with the vote of the City Council scheduled for July 18.
Though Lakewood has five programs already that deal variously with property concerns, the RIP would for the first time insert city-approved inspectors within private dwellings.
The tenant in Jesse Jones’ video complains about “mold and leaks everywhere” and acknowledges the problem to have existed since the previous December. She states that as a result of her complaint to management she was given a bucket and told to pay her rent – on time – even though the repairs were not made – on time.
Jesse wraps up his investigation by providing viewers – some 20,000 people ‘liking’ the story – how to get help and provides the link to the Landlord Tenant Law wherein all manner of options and remedies are available to tenants who find themselves in similar situations.
Perhaps more ironic than Jones investigating a story he usually doesn’t but which story nevertheless educated literally tens-of-thousands of people in the process – appropriately categorized under “News You Can Use” – Lakewood’s RIP architects considered – briefly – “instituting a robust tenant/landlord outreach educational program” but instead recommended hiring a director to orchestrate RIP at two-and-a-half-times the salary of the average household income in Lakewood; and employing an assistant at $50,000; and purchasing a new car at $30,000.
And yet, as the potential educational component of Jones’ investigation demonstrates, the referenced RCW in his brief clip even states that “if the landlord fails to remedy the condition or conditions within a reasonable amount of time the tenant may request that the local government provide for an inspection of the premises with regard to the specific condition or conditions that exist.”
Which, of course, begs the question, ‘why is Lakewood preparing to launch a program at considerable cost – $175,000 annually, not to mention considerable angst – to solve a problem for which easily accessed solutions are already in place?’
That’s a question Sean Martin, External Affairs Director for the Rental Housing Association of Washington (RHAWA), also wants to know.
In in his article entitled “Local Government Updates – Trekking Across Washington,” for this July’s edition of “Update – The Rental Housing Industry News Journal,” Martin writes “Seattle isn’t the only area making noise, however, as we are seeing the City of Lakewood begin forward movement on a proposal to create a mandatory rental registration and inspections ordinance.”
Lakewood acknowledges following Seattle’s lead in its own version of RIP. And it’s Seattle where “the hits keep coming as Council continues to deal body blows to the rental housing industry,” Martin writes.
And it is Lakewood, Martin says, given where Seattle has gone, that “RHAWA continues to monitor, and will be submitting comments to Council opposing this issue.”
Post-script: If memory serves, the Jesse Jones video shown by the City on the night of July 5 was cut off abruptly thus eliminating the conclusion of the actual KIRO presentation which aired March 16. At the tail end of the latter, Jones shares what viewers can do should they find themselves in similar situations.
Lakewood doesn’t show that part.
Additionally, in the transcript that accompanies Jones’ March 16 account, there is this: “If you want the best document on Landlord/Tenant Law check out the Northwest Justice Center.”
Lakewood doesn’t reference that either.
It is highly unethical for Lakewood’s staff to have doctored the video by editing out the portion that didn’t fit the RIP narrative they were trying to sell to the public and I suspect Council. The person(s) responsible for editing out perhaps the most important section…..how to easily solve the problem…..should be brought on the carpet before Council and the public, demoted or fired. Our country’s system of justice is based on “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” and this edit constitutes manipulation of the truth to serve the desires of the bureaucracy. RIP as presented by the City of Lakewood’s staff is a fraud built upon a collection of half truths that is designed to do one thing well: expand government’s intrusion into citizens lives’ at their expense.
Twenty-three seconds.
In a 4:03 minute video, 23 seconds constitute Jones’ wrap-up in which he addresses what legitimate, legal actions the tenant has a right to take.
Twenty-three seconds.
Lakewood edits that out.
https://vimeo.com/channels/205285/173572263
The link here provided is the video record of the July 5, 2016 Lakewood City Council Public Hearing on the Rental Inspection Program. The Jesse Jones KIRO investigation excerpt begins at 32 minutes, 14 seconds into the Hearing. It ends, abruptly, at 35:08.
Question. Who is the City of Lakewood staff member responsible for editing the above described deceptive and misleading video?
Per the vimeo link provided, the voiceover preceding and following the edited KIRO 7 Jesse Jones investigative report as shown at the July 5, 2016 Public Hearing concerning the Rental Housing Inspection Program is that of Lakewood City Attorney Heidi Wachter.
I attended the meeting on July 5th with my wife and was equally amazed at the Jesse Jones video shown to apparently try to influence any doubters as to the need for rental property inspections. The council must take us all in rental management for fools Thanks for David’s rebuttal in exposing the tampering of that clip. There was so much more knowledge of the business of rental management in the audience than the entire council, attorney, researchers and legislative staffers who help propose such unnecessary ordinances
The exception might be councilwoman, Marie Barth, who,has been in the field of real estate for many years and should know this RIP is not in the best interest of the local real estate industry. Anyone with common sense can see this is a “lose,lose” situation if this proposal is adopted!
I can’t help but think that’s why the council dais is bathed in darkness……so members of the audience can’t see them or distinguish who they are if and when they speak and me thinks it gives the impression of being immune to any public comment from the audience. Clever, what? My guess is that the council has already made their decision in favor of their misguided proposal and the meeting on July 5th was just an attempt to appease us disgruntled rental property owners and managers.
After the July 5th meeting, I couldn’t believe how negligent Jesse Jones was in not using that opportunity to educate people about the Landlord-Tenant Act in his video report. Now, we see that Jesse Jones did do his job, but his work was manipulated by a city employee to deceive the citizens. Not just the ones in opposition, but also the ones who support the program.
No matter which side of this issue you are on, deceit and dishonesty should not be tolerated. Are there no ethics standards for city employees?
Jesse Jones provides a valuable community service. City leaders could learn something from him.
As one who has always been very supportive of our city folk, this one is a big head scratcher. Our single rental supports low income renters and most months we seem to pour more money into that beloved house than the very one we live in. Meanwhile, the fantastic Lakewood rental management companies that also truly support their community are doing their part to follow the laws and ensure victory for the homeowners and renters they work with. Why can’t the time, money, and energy be put into that other group of landlords that can’t find their way to a hardware store to buy a smoke detector? Seems like the end result will be increases in rent. Aren’t we already dealing with housing issues?