Second in a series
In an attempt to understand how the City Council chooses from community members to stock boards and commissions, we zoom in this afternoon, curiously but non-judgmentally, on a selection last May for the Landlord Tenant Mediation Board.
Taria Lewis was a unanimous choice of the five Council members to serve as one of three Tenant Reps on the nine-member board whose single charge is to mediate landlord-tenant disputes.
In spite of a boast on her website that she has been a successful realtor for the past 20 years, she was chosen to sit in a Tenant chair.
Isn’t that an oxymoron?
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Ms. Lewis, in her own words.
Ms. Lewis justified her application by declaring she presently is a tenant in a “luxury apartment complex.”
Even though the nine board members are instructed to maintain their neutrality at all times – indeed that is one of the principles new inductees are learning during this week’s five-day, 30-hour training period – does anyone believe Ms. Lewis would be sympathetic to normally powerless tenants in a showdown with a landlord? That may stretch credulity.
Below are three pieces to the How Are They Chosen? puzzle.
City Hall’s Validation
At the time of application, the City Clerk’s Office does verify qualifications by requiring rental agreements or other documents that would confirm eligibility as either a tenant or a landlord member (or alternate) of the LTMB. Once the person is appointed, the management of the body is transferred to the Housing Division of the Community Development Dept.)
From the Landlord Tenant Mediation Board’s Guidelines:
From Section 9 of the O and IG of the LTMB:
(9) Qualification of Board Members
All tenant members shall be tenants of residential rental property within the City of Culver City, and neither the applicant nor the applicant's spouse or dependents shall have any financial interest in residential income-producing property either in Culver City or elsewhere.
All landlord representatives shall either own, manage or have a residential income property interest within the City of Culver City, and shall preferably be residents of the City of Culver City.
“Members-at-large members shall neither be tenants nor shall they own or have an ownership interest in any residential income-producing property in Culver City. Furthermore, preferably, neither members-at-large” applicants or their spouse or dependents shall have any direct business or financial relationship with either landlords, property managers or real estate professionals within the City of Culver City or elsewhere. Members-at-large applicants shall be residents of the City of Culver City.
From her website, here is an uncorrected profile of Ms. Lewis.
About Taria Lewis
Taria Lewis has been in real estate for 20 years. Her success in the industry comes from her vast amount of formal training (Taria holds a Master’s Degree in real estate) and experience while understanding every aspect of home selling, home purchasing and real estate investing, including financing, where she first began her career. Because she stays current on all aspects of the industry, she has access to pre-foreclosures which means she knows about property in trouble; even before it goes back to the bank. She has also written manuals and has trained other real estate agents in short sales and loan modifications. Taria specializes in the following areas: Homes sales, Purchasing real estate, Real estate analysis, Real estate leasing, Foreclosures (certified REO specialist), Short sales and loan modifications.
She remains successful in all markets in assisting homebuyers find their ideal homes, sellers to find their ideal buyers and for real estate investors to obtain the goal of owning buildings that produce income. By working with Taria, you can be confident that she will advise you as though she were buying or selling the property for herself. Her goal is to service her clients beyond their wildest dreams.
(To be continued)
