Organizing a tenants' association has proven to be a difficult task. The association grew out of a need to address on-going tenant problems. Many of us have experienced the frustration of taking our complaints down to the office and being rebuffed, cajoled and at times ignored. The idea of a tenant association is not novel. Tenants organizing to compound strength, and be heard is a common vehicle, used for years to counter big money and corporate bottom lines. I have heard a number of you lament the fact that the previous attempt to sustain a tenant association floundered and eventually succumbed to the mounting apathy of the membership. We don't have to be angry, but we do need to be self-reliant and to stand up for our rights as purchasers of promised services. The owners of these apartments have a paid staff to watch out for their interests, and the corporate interests often out-weigh the interests of the tenants. We can appreciate that you have busy and complex lives and that belonging to an organization is just one more thing to add to an already over-burdened schedule, but that is all the more reason to come together for mutual advantage.

Your association has accomplished and put into motion the resolution of problems concerning the complex as a whole. The initial meetings were dedicated to identifying the issues that most of you felt were the most critical at that time.

First: In November of 2000, those of us who had resided in this complex up to the 2 years prior to that time, were informed that the owners had applied for a capital improvement rental increase (passthrough) over and above the allowable annual rent increase sanctioned by the rent board. Owners, with rent board permission, can pass through capital expenses to their tenants of up to 10% of your existing rent per year. Last year's annual allowable rent increase was 2.7%. There is no limit to the number of passthrough increases in one year, as long as the total does not exceed 10% of your current rent. The association was very fortunate in finding an individual member who understood, from the beginning, the future implications of this process, and who was willing to volunteer his services to fight the passthrough. All of you, by coming to the meetings and signing the several submittals, have been the strength and backbone that was needed to mount a very visible opposition to the management's petition for what appears to be a largely invalid petition. We may not win on all of our objections but we may well win some of them, and management will consider this, the next time they apply for this type of rent increase. In the process of fighting this passthrough, we were able to convince management to leave the dining room open and available to tenants throughout the day, as had been the custom before the latest renovation.

Second: Security is a major concern. This is a complex issue and will need, by its very nature, on-going monitoring. We have met with management to discuss various aspects of tightening security. We have found that if the association heavily backs a measure, the chance of its being adopted greatly increases. I am still hopeful that management will find a way to get approval for a security patrol, as opposed to the courtesy patrol that is now in place. We may not see changes until the next fiscal year. After several inspections of the main security doors in the building, we have determined that these doors are in need of immediate repair and /or replacing. A San Francisco Housing Inspector cited the management of this building for being in violation of the housing code for neglecting to maintain these doors. The officers of your association met with the building's general contractor 10/03/02 to discuss the replacing and/or repair of these access doors. Approximately nine doors have been replaced and the latches are supposed to be adjusted this week. There is a schedule to replace and repair the other doors throughout the year. You can help by noticing which doors are not in working condition and reporting them to the management and to the association. Refer to the door number on or near the doorframe, if there is one.

Third: RATS! This problem was reported to the health department as early as March of 2002. Management failed to do a thorough job of ridding us of these pests at that time, and the problem grew into a full-blown rat infestation problem. We gathered evidence of the rat infestation, and some of you volunteered to describe your experiences with rats within your walls. The meeting with the health inspector in September was arranged to coincide with the mail delivery. Perhaps some of you have witnessed Danny, the mailman, wearing a protective mask over his mouth and nose while he is distributing the mail in the "F" Building mailroom! The management was issued a notice of violation of the health code and ordered to rid this complex of rats by 9/21/02. Management has since lodged a campaign to rid us of rats. We applaud their efforts; we only wish that they had responded with this much vigor in March.

Fourth: The UPS situation seems to be resolved. Management and the UPS have come to some agreement, the result of which seems to be that tenants will be able to receive packages at the office, after an attempt is made to deliver packages to the individual apartments. We have attempted to get both parties speaking to each other. This is a conditional solution. Hopefully, both sides will continue to work together to deliver a service that has benefited residents for years.

Fifth: We have our own website. It was put up and is still under construction at this point. The bulletin board feature is working, and I hope that you find it to be useful and convenient. It is my intent to make this vehicle available to you, so that we can stay better informed. Please report theft, auto and otherwise, your opinions on all and any subject you deem of interest to the other tenants, and by all means, contribute suggestions about how this association can better serve you.

Sixth: It has been our goal to make the association a part of the larger Lake Merced community. We now have an acting membership in the Lake Merced Task Force. It is the business of this task force to present and consider ideas for developing the Lake region. It has been our approach to focus on preventing construction of new buildings and maintaining the rustic quality of the lake. We support efforts for non-commercial approaches to up-grading the lake site, but we think that our members do not want the area fundamentality altered. There are opportunities for developing existing nature trails, maximizing habitat sanctuaries and restoring native flora that has disappeared gradually over the years. The Task force is in the process of deciding which studies need to be done at this time.

Seventh: We are attempting to keep our membership abreast of political issues that may affect their tenancy, now and in the future. We have a tenant membership in the San Francisco Tenant Union. We can draw upon this resource to augment our research on ballot issues, i.e. Proposition R, which is an initiative that softens the restrictions for converting apartment units to condominiums, and proposition A, which is a bond measure allowing monies to be used for developing and improving water systems throughout San Francisco.

We have tried to design this association to fit the lifestyles of its members. We are mindful that you do not all have or use computers, but we do reach a lot of people quickly on the Internet. We also try to deliver messages to tenants by putting notices under the door and by the bulletin boards posted in the lobbies. Unfortunately, someone has taken it upon himself or herself to tear down notices posted by the association. This website is yours, so please check it whenever you get the chance.

This organization can only be effective if there are members who support it. We are willing to represent you, but we need some help. If you can physically lend support, i.e. attending meetings, offering your professional abilities as needed, copying flyers, passing out flyers, making suggestions, etc., please contact us. At this time, the single most important thing you can do to support us is to call the office, or even better, go down there with your complaints, and tell them that you are a member of the Lakewood Tenants Association.