A Message from AAGLA Board President: Happy Holidays! Time to Take a Breath and Get Ready for 2023

Well, I guess it’s about that time to call this year of 2022 a “wrap.” We, as California’s housing providers, have certainly been through a great deal of financial turmoil, heartache and challenges over the nearly past three years since the onset of a global pandemic. Yet, somehow, we have persevered and can now take stock of what we have gone through and look forward to a new year and a day without moratoriums and poorly conceived regulations.

I am proud to have served for two years as your President.  Serving as your President of the Board of Directors of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles has truly been a great pleasure, and I look very much forward to serving you in this capacity for a third term in 2023. 

We just came through a very interesting election cycle. While there were some “winners and losers” in the eyes of our Association’s leadership and candidates that we endorsed and ballot initiatives that we either supported or opposed, for the most part though, things did not go our way. Sadly, an unprecedented number of candidates were elected to offices in the City of Los Angeles and in the State Legislature that were backed financially by Democratic Socialists that seek to impose major regulatory changes, which if passed, will significantly and adversely alter the way we conduct business today.

It is up to you. Each of us needs to stay “in tune” with the world out there, and work on behalf of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles’ advocacy efforts. Being outspoken through phone calls, letters, emails and appearances at public meetings is essential and it is of the utmost importance that you voice your concerns and participate in our advocacy efforts. It is also of great importance that you continue to support our efforts financially through your membership dues – please don’t let these lapse and please stay involved. Also, contributions to our political action committees and Legal Fund are essential so that we can properly conduct our political business here both locally and statewide as successfully as possible.

To prove that your support delivers results, in October, we and the Apartment Owners Association of California were granted a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of Los Angeles County’s broad-based moratorium on collecting rent and taking legal action necessary to do so. But, we will not stop there and merely lay down our swords. We intend to continue pursuing our case and to obtain a final order declaring the County’s ordinance unconstitutional to allow our members to seek compensation from the County to cover what has surely added up to billions of dollars in losses at this point. We also hope to open this same door on other local jurisdictions that had imposed these unconstitutional eviction moratoriums. However, we need your support because the cost of litigation – the cost of winning – is expensive.  So, please do help us.

My tenure as President has certainly not been without its challenges.  During the past two years, we fought and won an unprecedented volume of proposed state regulations, and have literally waged war to minimize many harmful, local ordinances. While we do not always win our battles, we do fight hard to protect our members’ interests and often get at least some relief that allows us to remain in business. However, we are most successful when our members come out in numbers to support our efforts. We cannot do it alone.

As your President, my most favorite aspect of the job is working with the many professionals that serve our rental housing industry and the members of our Association.  It has truly been a privilege working with the many individuals serving our Board of Directors, the talented group of employees working at our Association, our lobbyists in Sacramento, our affiliate associations throughout California and the California Rental Housing Association. Interacting with our members and having the opportunity to work with such talented professionals is something I cherish and will forever appreciate.

Before saying goodbye to 2022, I want to take a moment to wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year.  The year 2022 will certainly go down in the books as one tough year, but let’s all take a breather in December and look forward to a much better year in 2023.  It can only get better from here on out. I promise you.