Alysson Snow, Mayor of Lemon Grove. California and Professor in Practice at the University of San Diego, School of Law. was one of eight attendees we filmed at the American Society for Public Administration’s annual conference in Hollywood, California between March 20 and March 24th.  This is the seventh in a series that appears on Thursdays in this space.

The story she shares is one of action; where local governments work for the people and tackle hard problems, like housing.  Mayor Snow highlights such an example when an out-of-state corporation bought up a 64-unit apartment complex in the city.  The complex was home to seniors, veterans, and families on Section 8.  It was naturally occurring affordable housing, a rarity these days.  The corporate developer sought to circumvent rent control laws, designed to protect tenants from displacement and homelessness, by claiming, that it was going to do substantial renovations in the units.  The people who lived there were family to each other.  “Some of them had been living here for 37 years,” says Snow, “paying rent on time all of the time and now they were being forced out.”

In the end, the city council acted. Using tools provided in State law, the council instructed its attorney to send a cease-and-desist letter to the corporate developer.  It worked.  The notices to terminate tenancy were withdrawn.  Moreover, the City Council passed an urgency ordinance to increase relocation assistance and is now considering a stronger tenant protection ordinance.