Saturday, May 28, 2005
Dryage
No, it's not a spot of previously wet space. It's a building which has been going through some turbulent times. The landlord, being stuck between illegal tenants and a quasi-dictatorial fire marshal, is now trying to get a permit to knock the whole building down so he can evict the tenants, who have refused to leave. Of course, he doesn't actually want to knock the building down, but whatever, it's city government, it's not supposed to make sense.
City officials said approval of the interior demolition permit could be fast-tracked and would not need to go before the city's Zoning Adjustments Board, sparking an angry rebuke from the tenants' legal advisor, Jeffrey Carter.
"The implications of this is that in Berkeley it is easy to throw people on the street for living a slightly bohemian lifestyle," Carter said.
Yeah. That's about right. After all, the important thing in a bohemian lifestyle is renting illegal units.
"We're disappointed the landlord has refused the land trust's offer," said Claudia Viera, a[n illegal] tenant. "It seems like they're trying very hard to get around the law."
Nice.
. . .
|
. . .
|
