Lily's Diary
by Lily
August 6
Following the example of his predecessor Matt Gonzalez, District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi holds monthly art exhibits in his offices at San Francisco City Hall. Recently, there was a display of photographs showing apartments that have been cited by the city’s Department of Public Health for horrendous violations. As I looked at the sample picture on his website, I saw a bathtub covered with splatters of blue paint and walls marred with holes and mildew. I couldn’t help wondering what Mirkarimi saw. Where I saw incredible tenant abuse, he and the photographer apparently saw landlord neglect. Don’t they know how resistant some tenants are to having owners enter to make repairs? Haven’t they heard that people with mental disorders (against whom we cannot discriminate), not to mention substance abusers, can destroy property? I wonder, can there ever be a meeting of the minds?
August 9
I have a tenant who moved in 18 years ago, when I myself still smoked and saw nothing wrong with a renter who did the same. (These situations occur when you’re a landlord of a certain age.) I never thought much about Evelyn’s smoking because she is a refined person—clean and quiet. But now, the tenant above her (Harry) has complained that when she opens her bathroom window, smoke wafts into his bedroom. I suspect that this problem has arisen at this particular moment in time because, first, Evelyn, being a good tenant, keeps the bathroom window open to let out steam and discourage mold. Second, the weather has been warm and everyone is sleeping with open windows. And third, the papers are full of articles about a recently released study concerning the further dangers of secondhand smoke, with new legislation quick on its heels. If I say something, Evelyn will know that Harry and I know she smokes while doing what every normal person does in the bathroom. She will be embarrassed. I will be, too. This is one of those difficult situations familiar to small building owners living in the midst of their tenants.
August 11
This year’s ballot measures have just come out. My political pal Maggie went down to the San Francisco Department of Elections to make copies of the latest onslaught. There’s Supervisor Mirkarimi’s increase on relocation benefits for no-fault evictions (think owner move-ins, Ellis Acts, capital improvements, etc.). We saw that one coming. But what caught my eye was another measure—Proposition G. Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval wants to protect neighborhoods from chain stores by requiring them to apply to the San Francisco Planning Department for “conditional use authorization,” adding an estimated 60 to 90 days to the already complicated process. Frankly, I think he’s having delusions of grandeur. I know many people in his district (which encompasses the Excelsior, Crocker-Amazon and Ingleside neighborhoods) who would be thrilled silly to have a chain store—or even two or three. In the meantime, it sends yet another signal to businesses: don’t try to establish in San Francisco—it’s too much hassle. And what’s with this attitude against chains (pardon me, “retail formula businesses”)? Since my mother’s time, we’ve always had chain stores in San Francisco neighborhoods. In fact, the word “Rexall” was in danger of going into public domain. Every district had a Woolworth’s, Mode O’Day, Foster’s Fine Foods, Martinizing Dry Cleaners and, later, a flurry of smaller chains like Ernie’s Liquors. But that was a San Francisco that saw business as a good thing and a chain store as a reliable anchor around which smaller businesses could flourish.
September 2
It won’t come as news to you that a state measure on the November ballot (Proposition 90) shoring up the rights of property owners, is stirring up debate between building owners and those who read the San Francisco Bay Guardian. It’s one of many new measures on ballots across the country in response to the United States Supreme Court’s Kelo decision, in which the city of New London, Connecticut, used eminent domain to confiscate homes for a private development judged to be “better” for the community. Maggie is strongly in favor of the measure, believing it could further strengthen the state protection we now have through the Costa Hawkins and Ellis acts, but environmentalists and planning mavens (I know some of those guys, too) are questioning the unintended (or intended) consequences and have begun a full-out attack. In the meantime, the seemingly innocuous local ballot measure to adopt a policy of “encouraging housing for seniors and people with disabilities” (Proposition K) is judged by some to be a ploy to weaken San Franciscans’ use of the Ellis Act. Oh, my. Instead of feeling protected by law, I feel as though my rights are like a thin slice of lime atop a margarita: in danger of sinking at any minute.
September 13
Remember when I called PG&E to check out a leaking gas line and the service man shut off all the gas to apartment 3 on a Friday afternoon? Well, I got a plumber to come out the next morning and he said he had to completely repipe the gas lines to the unit’s stove and heater. The building inspector approved the job readily enough, but, before leaving, he looked over at the furnace and told me it wasn’t vented properly. Apparently it’s supposed to vent straight up. The fact that it had been there for 40-plus years didn’t seem to matter. Faster than I could say “my cousin’s a commissioner,” he issued a citation requiring that the furnaces in all 6 units be redone in 30 days’ time. I panicked. I called some heating companies and was advised to install a forced-air system. I gulped and convinced myself it was a wise long-term investment. I got an extension from the Department of Building Inspection so I’d have enough time to do the work.
So I’m carrying a loan for thirty grand. The common area on the ground floor now has huge ducts going everywhere: big, shiny, ugly ducts like the movie set of Brazil. I’m trying to figure out how I can train ivy to wind around them. It also blows my secret long-range plan to live in the basement when I am too old to climb the stairs—using the service entrance to enter and exit. This plan relied heavily on using the passageway. But now I think it would be too depressing.
September 18
Will someone tell me why workmen are always so messy? I have come to the conclusion it’s like a cat who’s killed a mouse and drops it at your feet. The workmen want to leave evidence of their accomplishments, afraid that otherwise you’d never appreciate it. I recently had an automatic watering system installed in the backyard. The gardener began to dig and string pipes and I left him to run some errands, confident that the job was in good hands. When I arrived home, I discovered that a huge valve had become the centerpiece of my garden. “Top of the line,” he told me proudly. To the gardener, it was beautiful. Maggie’s cleaning lady operates from the same mindset. After she’s left for the day, every pillow is rearranged, and the stylishly grouped knickknacks are spaced out evenly like the clay soldiers of Xian. I guess we all just want to be appreciated.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or San Francisco Apartment Magazine. “Lily’s Diary” is written by a longtime rental property owner who reserves the right to remain anonymous on the grounds that her tenants might gang up on her. Comments, corrections or ideas are welcome at lilysdiary@aol.com. Copyright © 2006 by San Francisco Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.