Progress Report 6-15-03

In January 2002, Ross Wilkinson and I gathered together a group and met to discuss the possibility of reactivating a dormant tenant association. We called a meeting of concerned tenants and asked them to rate what they considered to be the most pressing problems of the day. We determined some problems were common to a large number of tenants and that our chances of remedying these problems were best suited to a united approach. At the time, the most pressing concerns, in order of priority, were a largely unresponsive management to tenant concerns, a capital improvement rent increase, security issues, and the relocation of tenants in the aftermath of a fire in the F building in November of 2001. By the end of the first year we added to that list: a rat infestation of some proportion, a flood in the D building which displaced 27 people, random auto transients illegally camped on John Muir Drive which coincided with unauthorized individuals entering our clubhouse, pool and laundry areas at random hours, 13 car thefts and numerous auto break-ins. Simultaneously, we discovered that a task force had formed to lobby for "improvements" to Lake Merced and the surrounding area and we did not agree that some of the improvements being considered would enhance our living situation; hence, we joined the task force and strive to represent your interests. We erected a website in August 2002, for the purpose of allowing tenants to participate in determining the direction of the association and to increase the opportunities for tenants to interact with each other on a variety of different levels.

There have been many changes to the management staff at the Lakewood Apartments in the last 2 years. We feel that there is a marked improvement in the staff/tenant relations. With few exceptions, tenants are greeted respectfully, and cheerfully. Our thanks to all of the staff for their courteous and professional exchanges with the tenants.

The first meeting in 2003 was January 29th. The first item on the agenda was the very unfair decision against us by the administrative law judge on the capital improvement rent increase. This rent increase has been “vigorously contested by the tenants”, to quote her words. We made a decision based on the wishes of the tenants who expressed their approval at this meeting to go for an appeal. We are proud to announce that although we lost the appeal, we still won a limited victory. The landlord’s original petition was for $480,890.06. The administrative law judge’s final decision was $357,929.68, a saving to the tenants of up to $122,960.38, some or all of which was due to our active opposition to the landlord’s petition prior to the administrative law judge’s decision. This was an impressive accomplishment in its entirety and I feel that it was a victory. Ross Wilkinson volunteered to take on the enormous task of writing the objections to the passthrough rent increase and the appeal throughout most of 2002. This body of work took over 120 hours. The work was uncompensated. Mr. Wilkinson also agreed to represent us in front of the rent board, many more uncounted hours. I have sent copies of the objections, which were signed by you, to the members by hotmail. The most recent communications were posted on the “News” page of the website. If you would like to read the complete record of the objections to the passthrough and the appeal, write to me at lakewoodtenants@hotmail.com and I’ll send you the inserts. The entire record is composed of over 200 pages of written documents. Near the end of this effort, we learned that we are not alone in our impression that the rent board is infected with pro-landlord bias. The San Francisco Tenants Union polled its members recently and one of the questions related to that issue. We still believe that the facts and the law were on our side in this case. The rent board simply dismissed our appeal without ever even discussing the merits of the case.

The second item of note on this agenda was the annual budget for 2002. We have been asking for contributions as opposed to dues. The requested amount for 2003 is $12. We feel that this organization functions adequately with a restricted staff and at minimal expense thanks to some very talented people who are willing to contribute time and materials when needed. None-the-less, without your contributions, the resources will eventually dry up. Below is an accounting of our expenses for the period 12/11/01 through 6/03/03.

Passthrough and Appeal..................... $155.68
Website through July 1, 2003................. 87.72
Administrative misc................................ 27.89
San Francisco Tenants Union................. 25.00
Total................................................. $296.29

A detailed expense account is available to any member who has currently made the requested contribution who wishes to see it in more detail.

This is a bare bones minimum projection of the amount needed to sustain this organization through 2003:

Website & Domain Name-through July1, 2004-........................... $100.00
Lake Merced Task Force Fee...........................................................50.00
Administrative (Printers ink, paper, postage, etc.).............................. 75.00
Xeroxed Notices (for members without computers)............................75.00
SF Tenants Union Fee.......................................................................25.00
Total.............................................................................................$325.00

The 2nd meeting this year was held on February 11, 2003. The LTA met with Captain Ahumada, who is in charge of the fire Department located in Stonestown, Station 19. Captain Ahumada made some general suggestions about how we could improve our fire safety: evacuation maps posted in the halls and lobbies, fire alarm drills, stand-by generators to run the elevators in case of an electrical failure, maintenance item checks for malfunctioning doors, etc. He also suggested some precautions that tenants can take on their own such as hanging a sign on your door indicating that you have left the building in the case of a fire, register if you have pets in your apartment, reporting to the office if you are handicapped and requesting that someone check on you in case of fire, have available fire department numbers, take cell phones with you when you leave because of a fire, etc. We also discussed the possibility of obtaining free first aid/CPR classes. According to Jeff Clarke, Lakewood has outlined a point-by-point program to upgrade their fire protection system over a three-year period. They are in the process of getting this plan approved by the Fire Department and signed off by the owners. When you talk to the office, it doesn’t hurt to ask them where they are in the process.

Attendance at this meeting was not adequate to justify asking other city officials to attend and make presentations to the Association. We are sorry to say that we will postpone activities of this type until such time that we can more reliably predict tenant interest and participation. It is difficult to get the police, fire department, our supervisor, etc. to come out here without a guarantee that we will have a significant turnout. Ross and I discussed it and decided that we would try a new approach. The major issues of concern have been abated. Many problems have been resolved, others are under control and yet others are being worked on as time and situation allow. We will hold the meetings to one every 3 months and communicate with you through email or by passing notes under your doors. We will call meetings when there is an issue that involves a body of you and/or when we need signatures. If you have important issues that need to be addressed by the body of tenant members, please post them on the website “bulletin board” or “contact us”, at [email protected] We would like to know if you like the schedule of lessened meetings or if you feel the need to meet more often.

Last year we reported 13 auto thefts for the year. Gauging the exact number of thefts and break-ins is difficult because not all tenants report incidents to us or even to management for that matter. We have been told that the number of auto thefts has been greatly reduced, possibly by three-quarters, and the number of break-ins is down as well. Early in the year management switched security companies and the change seems to have improved the quality of our security. The problems still exit however, and we are encouraging management to reconsider the option of surveillance cameras. The auto campers are back and in full swing. The incidence of auto break-ins and breeched security of the property perimeter increases proportionately with the number of these illegally camped vehicles. The police are no longer responsive, and it isn’t a priority for the Department of Parking and Traffic. If you know someone who could put in a call to someone (Tony Hall) who can get some action, please make the phone call or contact me. On top of everything else, they are beginning to trash up the sites around the Lake. Check the website “Photos/What’s Broken”.

I’ve had time to work on the website. I hope that you have noticed the new features on the site, beginning with the new home page. The “News” button has become an archive function. I will keep the progress reports and official papers, i.e. passthrough documents, on this page for handy reference. The “Rules and Ordinances” are a function of the Rent Board and now have their own space for your convenience. I will add the State law governing tenancy to that as well. If you have a question re allowable rent increase, evictions, deposits, etc., it’s all in there. “Resources” can be very handy. Neighbornet is a virtual cornucopia of Sunset District retail stores, downtown and district government agencies, branch libraries, post offices, etc. Other resources are the individual inspectors and departments that are assigned to this area. If you travel by bus, there is a new MUNI listing of the busses that service this particular area and a timetable. “Photos” is our latest baby. It’s broken up into 4 categories: Neighborhood Photos, give your loved ones who live in another state or country our website and have them take a look at where you live. Items, you can advertise items for sale or give-aways right here. Activities, take pictures of yourself or other tenants doing what tenants do for fun and turn it in to me. I’ll publish it. This site is interactive, unlike the bulletin board, you must submit the pictures to me first. Either take a picture and put it in an envelope and give it to me or if digital, email it to me. I hope to put up an “Articles” button soon. One article or editorial on some topic related to tenant life per month.

The Lake Merced Task Force has been active in organizing itself into a more efficient vehicle. They have received a grant of half of a million dollars. With that money they plan to make studies on the most efficient way to raise the water level, plan for recreation and promote the natural flora and fauna in the area. Six inches of water was pumped into the Lake in November 2002. Another twelve inches was pumped in April. The Lake has natural fissures that absorb the water and it’s a matter of finding what amount of water can be sustained at what pumping speed. The Lake has been depleted for so long that a new habitat has formed and we would like to preserve as much of it as we can. Ross and I feel that it is in our own (tenants) best interest to try to keep the commercial interests suppressed and to encourage the City to develop in such a way that we can preserve the Lake’s rustic charm. We’ve been challenged already. It seems that SF State thinks that the Pacific Rod and Gun Club would be a great site to start an auxiliary campus. We feel that the potential loss of lake views, added parking problems, noise, and chaos of construction machinery would be a great disturbance to our way of life here. We also feel that there are sites in the area better suited for these activities. They are now upgrading the parking lot next to the viaduct. Near the end of July when nesting season is over, they will begin building a new aluminum fishing pier near the bridge. We lost that one. We thought they should just shore up the existing rustic fishing pier that’s there. See: “Photos/ Neighborhood/Fishing Pier” on the web site. The task force has also decided to charge a membership fee. The amount is as yet undecided. It’s between $25 and $100.

We feel that the Association is moving along at a sustainable rate. We would like feedback. If you feel that there are unresolved issues which affect the community that need to be addressed please relate them to us by means of website bulletin board, the “contact us” feature of the website or just mention them to us when you see Ross or me in the hallways or on the property. If you have a skill or resource that you would like to contribute to the association, we would love the help. We could use someone to volunteer to make copies at their business so that we can pass out more information to those who do not use a computer. At the present time the association is biased in favor of those of you who are computer users. We’d like to make our information available to the non-user. If you would be willing to take Minutes for the two remaining meetings let me know. Ross and I can’t cover all of the bases. Please tell your neighbors about us and our website.

Mona Cereghino, President