> ## 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. # Tough to find housing Suit alleges that CCSM discriminates in its picks - URL: https://www.smdp.com/tough-to-find-housing-suit-alleges-that-ccsm-discriminates-in-its-picks/ - Published: 2007-04-10T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T00:28:26.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Downtown, #archive-import, Homeless *Plaintiff claims forces working against him* SANTA MONICA COURTHOUSE Securing affordable housing in Santa Monica is tough enough without racial discrimination being brought into the mix, but that’s what one former would-be tenant charges with standing between him and some downtown digs. It was in October 2006 when Alex Virgel Baldwin, a 35-year-old African American, filed a discrimination lawsuit against C o m m u n i t y Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM), alleging the non-profit had deliberately offered him affordable housing apartments exclusively in minority-inhabited areas of the city. The lawsuit, filed on Oct. 18 in the Santa Monica Courthouse, names CCSM Executive Director Joan Ling, former Chief Financial Officer Paul DeSantis and Board of Directors Chairwoman Patricia Hoffman as defendants. All parties are expected to appear in court for trial on Sept. 4. Unemployed and recuperating from back surgery, Baldwin, who once worked in film production, claims that CCSM — the largest developer of affordable housing in the city — prevented him from renting its apartments in the more affluent parts of Santa Monica and tried to selectively place him in more dangerous and less desirable neighborhoods. His suit’s charges include violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and violation of prohibitions against discrimination in state-funded programs. Baldwin is seeking compensation for attorney’s fees, statutory damages, punitive and exemplary damages. “We’re a non-profit company with a community-based board of directors,” Ling said. “We try to do the right thing. It’s unfortunate that some people take advantage of our open and transparent procedures and policies” At least one other person has backed Baldwin’s claim, signing an affidavit on April 4 that he ran into similar discrimination from CCSM. In spring 2006, Joseph Mendez was living in Upward Bound House, a transitional family shelter in Santa Monica, when he received notification from CCSM of an open house for an apartment in Santa Monica. But because of his work schedule, Mendez notified CCSM that he would not be able to attend the open house and asked if they could reschedule. Because of financial reasons, Mendez said he would not have been able to take time off of work to attend the event. CCSM allegedly told Mendez that he would be taken off the list and would have to reapply again in a year if he could not attend. “They literally said ‘too bad,’” Mendez said on Monday. “I started explaining a little more, talked to the supervisor and they all pretty much treated me like crap.” Through his job as an outreach worker at Common Ground in Santa Monica — a community center treating clients with HIV — Mendez said he has heard other stories of clients and homeless people at OPCC who have faced similar experiences with CCSM. It was through their stories that Mendez said he realized the group’s actions were racially motivated. “We’re talking to people that are mentally ill, HIV positive,” Mendez said. “They should be getting all the help.” For Baldwin, his complaint dates back to February of last year when he became disabled due to back surgery, leaving him without a job and steady income. He applied to be placed on a waiting list for CCSM and heard about an opening at an apartment on 20th Street in the Pico Neighborhood that had recently been publicized because of gang violence. He was less than enthused about the opening because of the neighborhood’s reputation and purposely submitted his application for the apartment right before the deadline, knowing the application would be rejected since CCSM runs on a first come, first serve basis, Baldwin said. Instead, he was reportedly kicked off the waiting list. A few months later, in July, Baldwin said he received notification for an apartment on Second Street, right above CCSM’s office in Downtown Santa Monica.To ensure he would be selected for the apartment, Baldwin arrived two hours before the open house started and said his application was received first. Because of issues concerning his application, CCSM denied Baldwin the apartment. “I was good enough for the 20th Street apartment with the exact same information,” Baldwin said in October. Baldwin, who once lived in West Los Angeles, moved to an affordable housing apartment in Santa Barbara a few months ago. Since the lawsuit was filed, CCSM attorney Joshua Wagner of Gordon and Rees LLP in Los Angeles approached Baldwin to see if both parties could settle out of court, according to Baldwin. The defense attorney reportedly offered an apology from CCSM and an apartment, but the offer never materialized. Ling would not comment on the settlement terms. “Both parties have not come to some sort of a settlement, or we wouldn’t be going to court,” she said. Soon after Baldwin informed Ling that he would be filing a lawsuit against CCSM in August, Ling appointed Doug Willis, a board member of the Santa Monica/Venice NAACP, as the chief financial officer, Baldwin alleges. He believes Ling appointed Willis in an effort to prevent the NAACP from supporting Baldwin in his discrimination case. A call to the NAACP in Santa Monica on Monday was not returned. “That’s absurd,” Ling said. “Doug Willis has been on our board of directors for 20 years and he has been an on-and-off officer of the company.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 10, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)