Down the slippery slope of government’s unfettered, bureaucratic snowpocalypse.
It all began, like it always does, with a snowflake, then another, and another, until a flurry became a fury of falling snow bringing Seattle and environs throughout the Pacific Northwest to a standstill.
Greyhound stopped bus service, airlines cancelled flights, and Amtrak trains never left the station.
Fortunately, what began as a pretty white Christmas – for the entirety of Canada in fact – and in short order became quite messy, was only temporary.
Laws, not so much.
The “Snowpocalypse” as the December, 2008 snow storm became known, is akin to the flurries of activity planned for the upcoming legislative session in 2018 where, if State Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, is successful, Washington state’s ban on rent control, which dates to 1981, will end, essentially further burying landlords’ rights to free enterprise and exercise of constitutional self-government under what is becoming an avalanche of suffocating property-restrictive laws.
On June 6, 2016, David Kroman reported in “Crosscut” that landlords in Seattle would be “forbidden from raising rents until they bring their properties up to standards.”
Next up, then, or down depending on your perspective: “The next step in a forthcoming series of tenant protections laws: a bill to cap move-in costs,” Councilmember Kshama Sawant promised.
And now rent control.
And the danger of “enacting a rent-control ordinance,” ostensibly to address a temporary housing crisis? “Keeping it on the books,” said Zillow’s chief economist, Svenja Gudell, one of the experts who said rent-control ordinances may be effective but should be used only as a last resort.
When was the last time a law, once passed, was rescinded by the government when it was found, especially though profitable, no longer needed?
Lakewood’s (Washington) Mayor Don Anderson once said rent control wouldn’t happen here.
At the 22:38 minute mark of the July 5, 2016 Public Hearing on the Rental Inspection Program, which later (August 1) became the Rental Housing Safety Program law, Mayor Anderson said rent control was out of the question.
“What we’re not doing is we’re not considering anything that has to do with rent control. Those have not been and there is no intention to consider anything like that. In fact, we have a couple of lawyers up here who both have a fairly clear understanding that rent control is unconstitutional under the Washington State Constitution. We wouldn’t attempt that even if we wanted to.”
But if it were legal?
With Democrats in control of the legislature, a 60-day session beginning in January, rent-control advocates posting avalanche warnings in full view of the gathering storm, and “Lakewood’s program modeled after similar programs in other cities across the state that also have high percentages of rental properties” – like Seattle which is triggering the law’s collapse – will Lakewood’s landlords be caught up in the wash?
Like they’ve been with the passage of Ordinance No.644 mandating all landlords submit to rental inspections?
Chances are.
We have a strange city council that fails to ban smoking in our city parks because it intrudes on peoples rights, but demands that renters allow an inspector to police and inspect every inch or their home
because it is assumed they cant take care of themselves.
I wonder, if there had been a revenue side to the smoking ban would smoking be banned everywhere in Lakewood?
James, interesting point. I’m guessing you are right.
You’re right James as to at least one councilmember’s reason for opposing the ban on smoking in city parks:
“I just don’t think we need somebody telling us what to do all the time, every day, everywhere we go,” Council Member Marie Barth said (Tacoma News Tribune, January 19, 2014) in backing off a ban on smoking and tobacco use in city parks, and added “expanding this to e-cigarettes, I just think we’re overreaching common sense.”
At least, with regards the Rental Inspection Program, Councilwoman Barth was consistent.
“As the lone dissenting voice against Ordinance No. 644 – a mandatory rental registration and inspections ordinance that passed 6-1 August 1, 2016 – Councilwoman Marie Barth said (TNT, August 2, 2016), in reference to those already existing five programs, “I really prefer to strengthen the ordinances and codes that are in effect right now and pursue it in that manner.”
You are also correct James that if there is money to be made, then that – of their own admission – tends to be the deciding factor.
Councilmember John Simpson as much as said so in referencing the hypocrisy of his fellow councilmembers allowing alcohol – an acknowledged health hazard – in the parks but not smoking – clearly another deadly habit:
“In the same proposal that bans smoking in the parks before the City Council is language that will allow groups to drink alcohol in the park – provided they pay a fee,” wrote Simpson.
“In other words, groups of individuals can pay the City to enjoy alcohol in the parks but smokers cannot enjoy a cigarette or cigar or pipe in the same park.
“It appears as though the money to be made from the fees collected by the City that allows individuals to drink in the park trumps the individual’s right to smoke in the park.”
Councilmember Mike Brandstetter said the same (TNT, Jan.19, 2014):
Referencing that same duplicity among his fellow councilmembers, Brandstetter complained “We will allow alcohol because we can make money from it,” and evidently that persuasion prevailed as Brandstetter voted with the majority to keep parks alcohol-free.
But then the council changed its mind.
Beer stayed. Tobacco did too.
The upshot:
There’s money to be made from alcohol so it stays.
Tobacco stays too because if you ban one health risk, to be consistent, you’d have to ban the other.
And, of course, the council voted – regardless of safety – to not intrude on people’s lives but allow people to kill themselves through these addictions if they chose to do so.
But, now, the city council will intrude upon the interior of every rental in the city.
And why is that?
Because now – now – the Rental Inspection Program is about safety, and money.
Of course.
Simpson’s comments are from the Lakewood Patch, February 13, 2014
Look forward to it! It’s here! Get over it slumlord. WOT
Are you for REAL David Wilson???
for REAL Mr Andersons!
Thank you to the RHSPT!!!
Rental Housing Safety Program Team: This team established the City’s new online Rental Housing Safety Program (RHSP) and helped shepherd its rollout:
o Courtney Casady, Assistant to the City Manager/Mgmt Analyst
o Jeff Gumm, Housing Division Program Manager
o Heather Holverstott, Administrative Assistant
o Shannon Kelley–Fong, Assistant to the City Manager
o Dondi Koester, Finance Supervisor
o Martha Larkin, Program Coordinator
o Troy Schlepp, GIS Analyst
o Cathi Short, Finance Technician
o Bucoda Warren, Graduate Intern
o Ken White, IT Manager
o Dave Bugher, ACM/CED Director