The city fathers want more money to be spent in Ventura than anywhere else. If people are spending more money every day on rent, what do they have left?
Why is rent control not a hot topic in this city? I have lived and rented in this city for the past 12 years. My landlord raises rent to whatever the market will bear, and it is almost inhumane. They are now raising my rent by nearly $190 a month, not including utilities. It was $1,488, including water and trash, and now it is $1,670, not including water and trash. This represents a 15 percent increase, or four times the rate of inflation.
Now I ask the City Council: How do I spend more money in your fine city? Until this issue is resolved, constituents should turn their backs on any of the council's proposed policies, just like they turn their backs on us.
It won't happen. The money is going into the pockets of the landlords. At the end of the day, we need rent control like Los Angeles.
-- Richard Miller, Ventura