The nerve of the YIMBYs

I have called Culver City my home for more than 30 years. 

I first rented a crappy little studio apartment here, because it was all I could afford. And slept on a mattress that sat on the floor. The mattress was also my couch. It made such a great impression with the ladies.

Later I moved into a flop house with the Jennewein brothers. They already had a couch, so the mattress went into a bedroom, cue the music from the Jeffersons.

After that, I secured a loan from my family so I could put a down payment on a condominium in Heather Village. I was on the second floor. My third floor upstairs neighbors were in-home aerobics instructors.

Finally, my wife and I pooled our money together and bought the shabbiest tiny house in Carlson Park. It took us years to remove the carpet, the old lady scalloping, the caked on linoleum which had been used to line the kitchen shelves, and a dozen layers of paint.

Later we added a second story to the house because finding a bigger house in West LA was just not in my budget. Or the budget of 99% of Americans.

I am providing this longwinded timeline for a reason. 

Because as of late, a small group of misguided social engineering schmucks want me to forfeit the years of hard work, careful financial management and emotional attachment to my house, so that they can "up zone" my neighborhood and literally take away all that I have worked for. 

They'd like to turn my R1 zoned community into a higher density R4 zoned community, allegedly to make room for affordable housing. Yet when asked how this "affordable housing scheme" would work, they are painfully low on answers. And insultingly high on left wing progressive pejoratives.

"You're just a selfish right wing Republican." (Wrong)

"You're a racist." (Wrong)

"You're one of those people who thinks 'I got mine, you get yours.'" (OK, not so wrong)

Those of you who know me or have read a week's worth of this blog know I'm the furthest thing from a right wing Republican, particularly the Republican Party of 2021. 

Also, neighbors on either side of my house are people of color, as well as the house two doors down and the house across the street. I have no problems living with any of these folks. Some of their yapping dogs on the other hand...

But I do take serious issue with people who believe they're entitled to live in this admittedly expensive neighborhood by ripping up single family homes and putting in dense apartment buildings. And that the government should help them do so! 

WTGDF.

What happened to the notion of hard work, sacrifice, patience, setbacks, persistence and blood, sweat and tears? When I was in my late 20's and early 30's I wanted an oceanfront home in Malibu, a restored 1967 SS Camaro and a couch.

It never occurred to me to write a letter to someone in the government to ask for that.