There are too many pages on this site as it is, so instead of creating more pages or blog posts, I’m collecting them here and posting update notifications that point here.
On Howard County, Maryland, CB44-2023 (concerning various changes to rental regulations, including a provision for rent control)
Good evening, members of the Howard County Council. My name is Leif Powers, and I live in Columbia, District 4, near Howard County General Hospital. Today, I wish to report and advise on CB44-2023, on the matter of the proposed rent controls.
I have lived here for more than a decade. Initially, I paid roughly $1200 per month for a one-bedroom apartment; currently, that apartment is around roughly $1650 per month. The yearly increases are far below the proposed limits. Reviewing listings, comparable apartments cost about as much, suggesting that my situation is typical.
If the proposed rent control likely has no direct impact, who cares? The developers and housing operators care, because they have seen the history of cities imposing additional rent controls over time. (show Wall Street Journal article, 20 November 2023, “Signature’s Loans To Sell at Discount”, Peter Grant) New York state 2019 rent control changes are a major contributor to valuation losses of up to 70%. This is on top of a downturn in apartment rental business (show Wall Street Journal article, 22 November 2023, “Houses Too Costly to Buy Underpin Jump in Rents”, Will Parker). By contrast, single family home values and rents are greatly increasing. Investors in apartment buildings in a blue state in 2024, likely are donating to a charity operation; economically rational housing operators will let their properties deteriorate and become slums, as they have in New York City and the Bay Area.
Two weeks ago, I drove all over California – LA, San Diego, the Bay Area. Everywhere, I saw small, single-family homes. If the political will to increase density and moderate housing costs exists, it can be done. Market pricing will maintain the existing housing. The worst option is to impose rent controls, which restrict housing supply and lower housing quality.
I advise you to sever the rent control parts from the rest of the bill, which has some positive changes.
Thank you and have a lovely evening. 🙂
On Howard County, Maryland, CB45-2023 (concerning requiring healthy restaurant meals for children)
(this was an electronic communication to my councilmember)
I realize it is late in the game (I’ve been sick, etc.) – I wanted to briefly to pass along a few thoughts I had on this, particularly after listening to others’ testimony in November.
We have fried-chicken establishments in this county, that serve sugar-packed soft drinks, to inflate our Medicare costs with diabetes, as they take years off our lives. If we want to go down the healthy-eating regulation path, those and their ilk need to be the primary targets.
As for healthy options, we have grocery stores (for example, my local Giant) that offer healthy choices at most hours of the day. In any event, a parent of younger children needs to have healthy snacks on hand, because restaurants are not always available.
I listened to the testimony presented for the bill – I heard that people were focused on health problems, their opinions on wants and desires, and how this bill would be a minimal business burden. I didn’t hear anything that spoke to why this proposal was part of a correct, holistic approach. Optimistically, we are going to pay to micromanage a subset of businesses, to get some unclear small improvement, that has no clear epidemiological significance.
Finally, I would like to remind the council and Maryland politicians generally, that we have a number of problems attracting and retaining businesses in this state. As this bill would add more business overhead, it is contrary to any strategic effort to address those problems.
Before the Howard County Board of Education in 2023, regarding their decision to join a social media class action concerning many matters, but particularly claiming specific harms to school district from students’ use of social media:
Members of the Board, I, Leif Powers, (Polygon 1053) testify to advise you to withdraw the Howard County Public School System, from the lawsuits, involving the BOE vs. Meta Platforms and other tech companies.
These filings are frivolous: they are filled with absurd claims, including the assertion of duty of care and negligence, by impersonal online platforms that children don’t have to use. The cited evidence of increases in suicide attempts, overlaps with COVID, and hence no competent jury will consider that social media is the major cause. As for cyberbullying, students are required to attend HCPSS, where unavoidable and far more severe bullying occurs. The filings also directly threaten freedom of speech and the rule of law generally.
Since these lawsuits cover matters outside the official duties of the Board and HCPSS generally, not only are the Howard County taxpayers exposed to counter-liabilities, but the Board Members and Superintendent are as well.
If you have any questions, I have included contact information in written comments for Board Docs. Please reach out as needed. Thank you.