> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Residents may be getting the boot - URL: https://www.smdp.com/residents-may-be-getting-the-boot/ - Published: 2007-05-08T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T00:42:57.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Montana, #archive-import *Renters would be displaced if plan for center goes forward* NORTH OF MONTANA A dark shadow has been cast over a normally sunny garden apartment complex just a few yards from the Palisades bluff at news that its tenants will be booted out in the coming months. The residents of the 28-unit complex at 130-142 San Vicente Blvd. received eviction notices last month under the Ellis Act, a state law that awards property owners the right to evict all tenants so long as the units are not re-rented for at least five years following the evictions. The owners of the building — Or Khaim Hashalom, an alleged non-profit organization — submitted the 120-day eviction notices as part of its plans to demolish the 58-year-old complex and erect a structure that would accommodate housing for Jewish refugees persecuted in the Middle East. The timing of the notices came as a shock to the residents of the complex, considering the City Council had scheduled a public hearing tonight on an appeal of the Landmarks Commission’s designation of the property in November 2006, which would stave off the wrecking ball for perpetuity. The appeal was filed by Or Khaim Hashalom on Nov. 17, 2006 — four days after the designation was unanimously implemented. “What are these people doing?” said Risa Freeman, a tenant of the building. “Why now?” The hearing has been postponed to an undetermined date because Council will not have a quorum present. Council members Pam O’Connor, Bob Holbrook and Herb Katz will not be in attendance and Council member Ken Genser will recuse himself from the hearing because he lives in the complex. City staff is recommending the City Council deny the appeal. Originally known as the Teriton Apartments, in honor of the original owner’s daughters — Teri and Toni — the complex was designed and constructed in 1949 by architect Sanford Kent. The two-and three-story building is considered to be a vernacular modern style garden apartment. The building was identified on the city’s Historic Resources Inventory three times, the first coming in 1983. The Landmarks Commission originally found the building met five of the six criteria in qualifying for historic preservation, specifically pointing out the building’s pin-wheel shape, which was found in several of Kent’s works, including a now demolished building at 222 San Vicente Blvd. Kent was also found to have been an architect of local distinction — another one of the six criteria. The building was also noted for its garden apartment layout, an architectural style popular following World War II. The appellant does not believe the property is eligible for landmarks status, and believes the Landmarks Commission acted illegally in its designation. Properties owned by non profit religious organizations are exempt from landmark status according to state law, said Rosario Perry, a real estate lawyer representing Or Khaim Hashalom. The appellant also claims the designation cannot be approved without preparing an environmental assessment. However, an environmental impact report is not required in a landmark designation, said city Senior Planner Elizabeth Bar-El. If the City Council upholds the appeal, it could derail the dreams of the non profit to build 38 to 40 units, including a temple for worship and a possible day care center for the refugees. Or Khaim Hashalom purchased the property in April 2006, believing the building was just large enough to accommodate housing and a synagogue. “It was a beautiful location, which we thought was helpful for people to come here and live,” Perry said on Monday. It’s been a tough year for Freeman, who moved into the complex in August of last year after she was “Ellised” out of another apartment just a few blocks away on Ocean Avenue. Her former apartment building has been vacant since. In searching for her new apartment, Freeman said she was wary of any future Ellis evictions. It was one of the reasons why she chose the San Vicente apartment after being reassured by the owner that the building would stay for at least two years, but most likely five. Eight months later, an eviction notice was left at her door. “I can’t believe I’m in this position again,” Freeman said as she stood in her apartment on Monday; an apartment still filled with unpacked boxes from Freeman’s move. Just a few doors down, Susan La Bassiere has called her apartment home for more than two years. Calling the eviction notices “immoral,” La Bassiere is one of the residents who question whether Or Khaim Hashalom is a legitimate non-profit organization, calling its representative rabbi a “renter rabbi.” Since the new owners came to town, the tenants have been upset at the level of service, with claims of stoves not working, rude customer service and rent checks being lost. The people who live here say Or Khaim Hashalom’s plans will not only destroy the building, but it will destroy a tight-knit community filled with residents who have lived here for decades. One of the tenants has lived in the Teriton Apartments since she was a young child. Across from where Freeman lives, a young child comes to water Freeman’s plants on occasion. Another neighbor’s child, who lives upstairs, used to greet Freeman’s old Chow mixed breed dog, which used to spend its days resting on the stairs outside. When the dog died a few months ago, the child would call out to his old friend on his way up to the apartment, wondering why the dog had vanished. A retired journalist, Kit Snedaker has lived around the world, including Japan. The Teriton Apartments is the only place that’s ever felt like home. At 86, Snedaker, who has lived in the Teriton Apartments since the late 1970s, will actually have up to a year to find a new place to live. The Ellis eviction notice gives tenants with disabilities and senior citizens an entire year to relocate. “We sent a letter to those people indicating we’re more than happy to help them relocate,” Perry said. “We will call other housing providers in the city and see if we can get them comfortably relocated to an area where they’ll be happy to live and also can afford.” The apartment complex has been the perfect place to live for Snedaker. The clean air has helped keep her breathing problems under control and looking out her garden facing window and seeing the neighbors, Snedaker always feels comfort and security. With the final City Council decision still up in the air, the residents are already considering searching for another apartment. La Bassiere hopes to stay in Santa Monica while Snedaker, who is living on Social Security checks, is still assessing her options, which could include senior housing. Getting booted out twice in less than a year, Freeman isn’t so sure she wants to stay in Santa Monica, where it will be difficult to find an affordable apartment that will allow her to keep her new dog. “I don’t want to be kicked out again,” she said. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 8, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050807.pdf?ref=smdp.com)