Candidates answered questions about rent-controlled and low-income housing units in Beverly Hills, such as a project at 250 N. Crescent Drive. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles hosted seven Beverly Hills City Council candidates in a forum on Monday, Feb. 12, in the Keller Williams Realty Beverly Hills office. Craig Corman, Tiffany Davis, Myra Demeter, Nooshin Meshkaty, Hamid Omrani, Sharon Persovski and Alissa Roston weighed in on housing and rent issues in Beverly Hills.

AAGLA executive director Daniel Yukelson and AAGLA government affairs specialist David Kaishchyan facilitated the meeting and asked the seven candidates questions related to ongoing housing concerns. The topics included rent control, the Justice for Renters Initiative, affordable housing, the Beverly Hills Housing Element and California’s housing shortage.

While the candidates differed in exactly how they would approach Beverly Hills rent concerns, they agreed that there should be an emphasis on balance when addressing tenants’ and landlords’ needs.

“I believe in finding a balance. I don’t want to kick people out. And I would want landlords to try to work with people,” Roston said.

Roston, an AAGLA member, said that she would not support the Justice for Renters Initiative – a law that would expand rent control – when it appears on the general election ballot in November. Roston said that although she doesn’t support additional rent control for new buildings, current rent control measures in Beverly Hills should be maintained.

The Justice for Renters Initiative would lift the current ban on rent control for buildings constructed after 1995 and single-family homes, and allow local governments to stabilize and put limits on rent. It would also eliminate vacancy decontrol, which allows landlords of current rent-controlled units to raise rent to market price once tenants vacate voluntarily or after eviction. Proponents of the act believe it will ease the housing crisis by making rents more affordable across the state for low income renters. Groups including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation have supported the initiative. However, critics, such as AAGLA, said the act would put unnecessary regulations on property owners, including small mom and pop landlords. Opponents also said the act could discourage new developments from being built, worsening the housing crisis.

“If rents get raised very high, then we are also starting to get problems about people that are not going to be able to afford to pay the rents,” Persovski said. “And then we create a more difficult problem.”

Persosvski was the only candidate at the forum who said she would support the Justice for Renters Initiative if elected to City Council.

Meshkaty said a focus should be on making Beverly Hills appealing to the next generation of residents. She said landlords must be able to raise rents in order to maintain their  units so that new residents will move in.

“We’ve seen what happens in Santa Monica when you have rent control,” Meshkaty said. “If we put pressure on property owners, we can’t expect them to upkeep their properties.”

Demeter highlighted her experience as planning commissioner and said she is confident the plans outlined in the next draft of the housing element will satisfy many of Beverly Hills’ housing needs.

“Landowners need to make money. That’s your business and you’re entitled to make money,” Demeter said. “Renters have certain rights and they would like those rights protected, so I think there has to be a balance.”

Corman said he doesn’t believe building more units will solve the housing crisis. He also said there is a place for rent control in certain circumstances.

“I don’t accept the underlying premise of Sacramento that if we build enough units rent will go down,” Corman said. “Can it go down? Maybe. If they want to solve the housing crisis, and they say they do by having more units, they’re going to have to have government subsidized housing. It’s that simple.”

Davis emphasized her perspective as a tenant in Beverly Hills, and said she believes creative developers can be a solution to the housing shortage. She said she doesn’t think the city should try to build any more affordable housing outside the state housing element requirements.

“I don’t understand why anything in Beverly Hills specifically – brand new development – needs to be rent controlled,” Davis said. “I know we need to satisfy a mandate … But as far as just new developments, in my opinion Beverly Hills is Beverly Hills.”

Omrani shared his experience as an architect and said the city should focus on its own residents rather than people moving to Beverly Hills. He said he doesn’t believe it is possible for the city to fulfill the housing element requirement to develop over 3,000 low-income units.

“Regarding the newcomers to the city, forget that,” Omrani said. “We have major problems and we have to resolve it first.”

Three city council candidates, Robin Rowe, Russell Stuart and Mary Wells, were not in attendance. Yukelson cited a limited amount of time for the forum, and said he reached out to other candidates but did not hear back. Yukelson did not specify which candidates to whom AAGLA reached out.