The Editor's Desk

The city’s Jeanette Hayhurst has pointed out (as well as a commenter on my latest editorial) that many of the rules the city is proposing for rental units in Barstow are no different from the HUD guidelines for Section 8 housing.
This may be true, but there are some very important differences that need to be understood to explain why landlords are coming out against the city’s draft plans.

HUD’s Section 8 guidelines:
• Participation in the program is completely voluntary. If landlords do not want to follow the strict guidelines to be a Section 8 household, they do not have to become part of the program.
• Compliance is encouraged through an incentive program. The federal government subsidizes the rents of landlords who follow the guidelines.

City of Barstow’s proposed rental program:
• Participation in the program is mandatory for all rental units with the city. If landlords do not want to participate, the city will attempt to force them to do so with court orders and search warrants.
• Compliance is demanded under threat of fine. The city of Barstow penalizes landlords who do not follow the guidelines.

Neither program is very good, as they both rely on wasteful and often capricious bureaucracy to enforce, but reading the comparison, it’s easy to see why exactly landlords are so upset. Rather than creating incentives, the city is creating punishments.