After reading CES' E-Newsletters regarding our efforts to organize tenants in 34 apartment complexes owned by Jones and Jone Management Company throughout
L.A. to oppose their landlords demands for their rent to only be paid
online, California State Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) responded by
taking decisive action against this
abuse. Senator Lieu has just introduced Senate Bill (SB) 1055 that
would require landlord to continue to accept rent by check or money
order.
Here are the links to the emails that prompted Senator Lieu to take this important action:
Below is a
news release from Senator Lieu announcing the introduction of his bill SB 1055.
Sen. Lieu introduces bill to block landlords
from requiring tenants to pay rent only online
February 22, 2012
Complaints from residents prompt renter-protection bill
SACRAMENTO
- In response to complaints from residents that more and more landlords
are requiring rental payments be made only online, Sen. Ted W. Lieu
today announced introduction of a bill that would ensure residents can
continuing paying with check or money order.
"A
growing number of landlords are no longer accepting checks or money
orders from tenants," Lieu, D-Torrance, said about Senate Bill 1055.
"Instead, they have begun to change rental agreements to require tenants
- including the elderly, disabled and poor - to pay their rent online."
The issue came to light late in 2011 when hundreds of tenants in apartment complexes in Los Angeles objected when the property-management group notified residents
of a 300-unit complex that the only way they could soon pay rent was
online.
Current
law does not specify how rent is to be paid. SB 1055 revises the law to
prohibit landlords from requiring online only rental payments.
"Many
residents of the rent-controlled complexes are elderly, live on fixed
incomes and either have no computer or know little about computers,"
Lieu said, adding that it was unreasonable to ask renters who may be
struggling to make ends meet to invest in a computer, Internet access
and related expenses in order to rent a residence.
"We
applaud Sen. Ted Lieu for introducing this important tenants'-rights
legislation to protect renters," Larry Gross, executive director of the
Los Angeles-based
Coalition for Economic Survival
said. "We believe this rent-online scheme is just another way to
increase rent-controlled rents by evicting long-term, low-rent tenants
who just happen to be, for the most part, seniors and the disabled. In
other words, this affects those who likely are least able to pay online. "
SB 1055 is waiting to be assigned to a policy committee for review, which should occur within the next month.
Ted
W. Lieu chairs the Senate Labor Committee and represents nearly 1
million residents of Senate District 28, which includes the cities of
Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo
Beach and Torrance, as well as portions of Long Beach, Los Angeles and
San Pedro.