Letters to the Editor: Why construction isn’t a good excuse for evicting Barrington Plaza tenants

To the editor: Surely there is a way to phase the Barrington Plaza renovation that would allow the majority of tenants to remain, store things, double-up or move only temporarily. It doesn’t seem there is a need to evict all tenants of the complex’s 577 units.

Look at the creative processes for trades coordination and pull planning. Construction management, the field in which I work, has evolved to include sensitive renovations, including historical preservation and projects that need to “stay open” during construction.

Has this been discussed and developed to keep the tenants housed?

Melinda M. Veregge, Laguna Hills

..

To the editor: Your article casts a negative light on tenants of rent-controlled units.

By repeatedly noting the great views (once quoting a resident who mentioned his “million-dollar view”) and remarking on the heated pools of Barrington Plaza, you make the tenants look spoiled and entitled instead of struggling to afford housing.

Why not ask the Uber Eats driver you quoted how much of his gig economy income goes toward rent? Or what percentage of the senior tenants’ Social Security checks pays for housing?

Instead, you reiterate the false narrative that tenants are just “lucky” to get a rent-controlled unit, when simply surviving is the real issue.

As a tenant in rent-controlled units for 25 years, I can tell you that paying for food and keeping a roof over my head are my first priorities, not the view or heated pools (neither of which I have, by the way).

Wendy E. Cooper, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: Why not place the tenants in temporary housing, fix the buildings and then have them return?

Kelly Allison, La Crescenta