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SLO Council planning student housing removal program

December 3, 2014
Councilman John Ashbaugh

Councilman John Ashbaugh

San Luis Obispo Councilman John Ashbaugh and Mayor Jan Marx are proposing a program where the city would deed restrict homes to protect the city from becoming like Isla Vista. [Mustang News]

In neighborhoods with a mix of primarily families and 40 percent or less student occupied homes, the city would purchase homes as they come on the market. The city would then sell the home with a caveat that it must be owner occupied in an attempt to move students out and families in.

The city is not planning to implement the program in neighborhoods with a 70 percent or greater student population.

After deed restricting the home, the city would give purchasing preferences to Cal Poly and Cuesta College staffers for homes in the Monte Vista Place and Monterey Heights neighborhoods. The program could also be extended to the Highland Drive and Cuesta and North Chorro streets areas, Ashbaugh told the Mustang News.

Ashbaugh said the planned “neighborhood stabilization program” would have little or no cost to taxpayers because city staffers would resell the homes shortly after purchasing them. The new owners would then be required to occupy the home as opposed to renting.

Marx said the plan to reduce student populations in areas where they occupy 40 percent or less of the homes would help stave off segregation.

“The difficulty that arises when you just have one group of people in a neighborhood is that it becomes like segregation,” Marx said. “And the city’s policy is that it’s healthier for everyone if there’s integration in neighborhoods.”

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Looking into my crystal ball I see…


A NEW very well paid city staff with full benefits to implement this program.


I see homes going on the market in the ‘desired areas’ with an asking price above market because the seller knows the city will buy it.


I see the city administrator buying the property above market value because they are under pressure to make the program work and it’s not their money so who cares.


I see the new owner, the city of SLO, trying to sell a home with a deed restriction that will drive the value below market value.


I see the city sitting on a lot of unsold homes that will eventually be sold at a loss (to the taxpayer).


I see the city getting into a another NEW business of being a low interest mortgage lender to move the inventory quickly as outlined by Ashbaugh.


I see a possible scenario where the newly deed restricted home is owner occupied but also has roommates that happen to be of the dreaded student ilk. And this will bring about new city ordinances for roommate requirement restrictions.


I wonder how the city arrives at the 40% and 70% levels of student occupancy status.

Is there a requirement that you must register with the city where you live and what your occupation is?


Why not 30% and 75% and why not Laguna Lake or the Country Club areas protected from those nasty students.


And what city staffer is going to enforce the owner occupied deed restriction and what are the restrictions when a Cuesta or Cal Poly employee wants to move and sell their house?


And what is a ‘student’… full academic load or taking reduced classes and also has a job.

Does this apply to adult night students? What if you are participating in an internet accredited curriculum?


Do any SLO city council members live in the ‘neighborhoods to be stabilized’?


The potential legal challenges and subsequent costs by a ‘not so great’ City Attorneys track record are a real possibility for total disaster.


If the city of SLO can get into the business of ‘flipping houses’ then SLO County will not be far behind.


BUT NOT TO WORRY BECAUSE ASHBAUGH SAYS “THE PROGRAM WOULD HAVE LITTLE OR NO COST TO TAXPAYERS…”


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Excuse me, but when was a government program EVER created

that had little or no cost to taxpayers?

Who’s going to pay the salary of folks to run this? Isn’t that an expense?

Add in some more staff, don’t forget the benefits, payroll taxes, etc!

Mr Ashbaugh is living in la-la land if he thinks he can do something for nothin’,

there’s always a cost to do business,

and this sounds like Ashbaugh wanting to get in everybody’s business AGAIN!


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The city already has a buy-high, sell-low real estate program. It’s called turning over valuable property to the Copelands and WestPacks at pennies on the dollar as part of the downtown redevelopment scheme which has turned downtown into a chain store mall. The Copelands got the whole Chinatown property for $!.1 mil. Nobody else can get that sort of deal — have to kiss up to Ashbaugh, Marx and Christianson. Closest-priced deal downtown was the little tiny stucco arched place on Chorro next to Fedex for $1.5 mil, and it’s about 1/20th the size of what Copelands ripped off from the city for less. SLO = Scandal Luis Obispo.


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“the city would purchase homes”


With what? This is why one should never vote for progressives. Memo to Jan & John, Just fill the pot holes, keep the lights on the water flowing and stay out of the real estate business.


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Why would any homeowner agree to this? Homes are sold to the highest bidder.

Why would Cal Poly and Cuesta staff be given preference to buy these homes over anyone else? That’s discrimination. There’s nothing constitutional about cleansing neighborhoods of a certain age group of people. As far as it not costing the City of SLO any money, I guess they’ve forgotten about the bottom falling our of the real estate market a few years ago. This is not government’s business. I can’t even believe that anyone would seriously think this would stand up in court.


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SLO just keeps getting nuttier and nuttier with the leadership of Democrats. Someone is going to be making lots of money from this lunatic idea proposed by Ashbaugh and Marx, realtors, attorneys, homeowners, etc.


Keep controlling our society you idiots!


How is that Measure G feeling for all you voters?


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Only 60s Leftists could dream up such a boondoggle. Now they’re old they are doing exactly the stuff they protested against 50 years ago—targeting groups. “Neighborhood Stabilization Program” sounds like an ultra-right McCarthy operation to keep out blacks and Hollywood Communists. Odd how they become what they fought against.


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Clearly you know nothing of 60’s New Left. Save that rhetoric for bumper stickers OK Kevin. These filthy politicans are more like George Wallace than Eugene McCarthy. They are not Left wing in their politics. They send the goon squad to harass homeless folks forcing them to join CAPSLO so they can steal money from them. They prostitute themselves to developers while allowing congestion to invade the county. They do channel our tax dollars to their welfare system (public employee wages and retirement)

But for the most part they behave like neo conservative Tammany Hall dunebuggy enthusiasts.


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Tammany Hall Democrats drove dune buggies? Cool! I had no idea NYC has sand dunes!


Uh… I think you’re making my point, sir. They are acting very right wing for Leftists.


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You are right about that. But you also don’t know anything about NYC or surrounding area either.


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Just a couple of questions here…

If the owner of a home decides to sell and the City feels the price is too high, then what?

Will the seller be strong-armed into selling the home to the City for less than what he/she wants?


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Stand by and watch the bureaucracy grow. New departments, more personnel…and so it goes.


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Ever heard the term Social Engineering? Well, here you go, SLO.


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“The difficulty that arises when you just have one group of people in a neighborhood is that it becomes like segregation,” Marx said. “And the city’s policy is that it’s healthier for everyone if there’s integration in neighborhoods.” Doesn’t this plan promote segregation rather than integration by keeping the students in a separate neighborhood and requiring owner-occupancy in others???


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Exactly. How much do you think this will increase rent in the areas where students will be allowed? How much do you think this will increase rent in areas where students aren’t allowed? These people have let a little power go to their heads.


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