By Virginia Tura Santa Monica
This letter is in response to the article in this week’s paper (“Tough to find housing... Suit alleges that CCSM discriminates in its picks,” April 10). I was on the waiting list with CCSM for four years in a row. The first year, I didn’t hear from them. The second year, I didn’t hear from them. The third year, I got an invitation to view one old, rundown apartment south of Pico. I wrote a letter explaining I could not apply for it because it was out of my daughter’s school district. CCSM took me off the list for the rest of the year.
This past January, I applied again and was sent an invitation to view an apartment, like Mr. Baldwin in your article, right next door to a liquor store and smack-dab in gang territory. I was afraid to get out of my car to even apply. I sent another letter to CCSM explaining that I would feel concerned for my and my daughter’s safety living there so I turned it down. I quickly received a letter from CCSM stating they were removing me from their list because “applicants are not allowed to turn down apartments because they don’t like the neighborhood.”
I don’t believe CCSM actually has any decent apartments to offer applicants. Whether or not they discriminate against minorities, from my experience, they offer apartments nobody else would consider renting, and they don’t offer them at an affordable price, as their name implies. Santa Monica residents are still in need of affordable apartments and CCSM is not the answer.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 14, 2007. Read the original PDF.