Jersey City Neighborhood Mourns a Friend

This incident happened a few blocks from one of my buildings, and on the same street…

From the New York Times

By JENNIFER 8. LEE and NATE SCHWEBER

Published: October 31, 2006

Fidelina Claros had steaming coffee waiting for her customers as they came in every morning, just the way they liked it: light and sweet, or black. She had her teenage daughter give rides to neighbors when their cars broke down. She gave free bagels with cream cheese to a high school student who walked by on her way to school, because she believed breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

Ms. Claros was the owner of a corner deli, a mother of three and a generous presence in the Jersey City Heights neighborhood. And yesterday her customers gathered around her store in tears after learning that Ms. Claros, a 47-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, had been shot and killed in her deli on Webster Street around 1:30 p.m.

It is unclear whether she was the victim of a premeditated killing or of a holdup that ended badly, the Jersey City police said.

This was in broad daylight,・said Stan Eason, a spokesman for the police. it was very cold.・

The police were looking for the gunman last night.

Ms. Claros bought the corner store, G & P Deli, about five years ago, and landed in the neighborhood as a whirlwind of charm and compassion, her customers said. Adiana Delarosa, whose mother was a good friend of Ms. Claros, remembered that the deli owner once found a teenage boy sobbing outside her store. He told her he had a drug problem, Ms. Delarosa said, and Ms. Claros helped him find counseling.

Raul Santiago, a regular customer, described Ms. Claros as 田lassy in the sense that she would give you the shirt off her back to help you.・One time, Mr. Santiago’s car broke down and he went into the deli, saying he was unable to get around. Ms. Claros had her teenage daughter drive him to the auto parts store.

Ms. Claros hung a big blue and white Salvadoran flag in her store and chatted with other customers about Latin American politics. She cooked Salvadoran dishes in the back kitchen for church functions and gave away gallons of milk to Gerardo Acosta, a 50-year-old nanny, so he could make Colombian desserts. She jumped in to help with Puerto Rican and Ecuadorean parades, explaining, we’re all the same.

The neighborhood, a mix of apartment buildings and warehouses, wasn’t always the safest. Ms. Claros, who had been robbed twice before, was careful not to keep much money in the store. Customers worried about her being there alone and would visit on afternoons and weekends to keep her company. Joe Andino, 44, a mechanic, lent her his dog, a bull terrier named Capone, to make her ・and himself ・feel more at ease.

She had been trying to sell the store for several months, telling neighbors that she was tired of a business that required her to stay open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. She even kept the store open on holidays, in case her customers needed last-minute ingredients for their Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. Even though her daughter helped out before and after school, it was still a wearying job for a single mother, requiring a half-hour commute each way from her home in Roselle, N.J.

In a statement, Jersey City mayor, Jerramiah T. Healy, called the murder a tragic event.・

Once again, the proliferation of illegal guns on the streets of our city is the cause of yet another loss of life,・Mr. Healy said. the woman who worked in this establishment was hard-working and friendly, and this senseless crime will leave an indelible mark on her family, friends, and the Jersey City community that she served.・

John Holl contributed reporting.

Lakewood landlords sue over code enforcement crackdown

CLAIM: Units rented to Hispanics targeted

RESPONSE: Aim is to improve quality of life

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/8/06

BY JOHN VANDIVER
TOMS RIVER BUREAU

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A group of landlords contends that local building and code inspectors are unfairly targeting rental units occupied by Hispanics and enforcing local ordinances that are unconstitutionally vague, and has asked a court to stop them.

The Lakewood Landlords Association filed a lawsuit in Superior Court July 24 seeking to prevent "unjust enforcement of township ordinances," said Larry Loigman, the group's Middletown-based attorney. The suit names 53 plaintiffs.

"The town is trying to send a message to the landlords that they're not to rent to a particular part of the population," said Loigman. That amounts to discrimination, he added.

Steven Secare, the township attorney, denied that building inspectors are targeting only rentals occupied by Hispanics. He also defended the township's "quality-of-life" ordinances, which Secare said duplicate various national building code standards.

"I'm confident these ordinances are constitutionally valid and will be upheld," Secare said.

The township's crackdown on quality-of-life violations gained momentum last year as complaints piled up from residents upset about neighboring properties. The complaints ranged from frustrations with overcrowded homes to unkempt, overgrown yards, Secare said.

In response, the township hired three additional building inspectors and four more police officers, all assigned to enforce property codes, said Township Committeeman Raymond G. Coles, who declined to comment specifically on the suit.

Collectively, the landlords have received more than 150 summonses from building inspectors. Fines have ranged from $100 to $500 for offenses ranging from overcrowding and failure to obtain certificates of occupancy to poor maintenance, Loigman said.

In one instance, a landlord received a summons for "failure to remove a duck," Loigman said. "We have no idea what that one's about."

As the fines mount, Lakewood is becoming too costly for the landlords, according to Loigman.

"They can't continue to do business," he said.

The landlords' suit says that enforcement of property codes violates the Fair Housing Act, and that while homes with Hispanic tenants are routinely inspected, other properties rarely are.

The kind of landlord I am

A friend sent me this Craigslist post. I don't know who wrote it so I can't give them credit. My tenants are not as bad this guy's, but the thing about the heat and the exterminator hit very close to home, as do the evictions...


Date: 2006-07-21, 10:37AM CDT


1. Responsible for the weather
My building manager called to say one of the tenants wanted a discount for the days it was hot outside. Why? Because it was also hot inside. Their electricity is fine. They could run both air conditioners and fans and keep a supply of popsicles, just like I did in my apartment. My response: Will you pay extra if the weather is nice?

2. In charge of the animal kingdom
A tenant complained about mice. I sent over an exterminator several times. He stuffed steel wool in holes, baited traps, sprayed outside etc. Eventually he refused to go back because the tenant continued to leave open packages of food on the floor and counters. She insisted I was responsible for the problem. As if I commanded the mice to invade her house.

3. Menace to domesticated animals
One tenant was convinced I was poisoning her and her wooly mammoth dog with carbon monoxide. (What will I think of next?) Fire department went over there. Gas company went over there. City of Evanston sent an inspector. Everyone who tested got the same result. No discernable level. She tried to deduct $200 from her rent to pay for her vet bill. This woman also accused me of running a bicycle chop shop in the basement. And wanted me to compensate her for a parking ticket she got in front of my building.

4. Pet killer
I hired a carpenter to fix something. With the tenant’s permission, the carpenter went into the apartment. Apparently the act of opening the door scared the dog. The dog ran down a set of internal stairs, bumped his head and died six weeks later. This story was condensed to “Landlord killed my dog.” There are several neighbors who will not even say hi to me. One of whom made it his mission to make sure my landscaping is always in 100% compliance with arcane City ordinances.

5. Made of money
Tenant asked to break her lease because the price of her anti-depressants went up. No mention of the car she just purchased. Maybe she thought the hint of mental illness would scare or embarass me. She was three months into a twenty four month lease. 24 month lease she specifically asked for.

6. Heartless
Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy evicting single mothers at Christmas time. It takes months to evict and the landlord rarely recoups the back rent or court costs. FYI, I do not think it is more important to make your car payment. Thanks for asking.

Please pay your rent on time and remember, I am not omnipotent or an evil genius. A lease is a business arrangement.
And one more thing, why oh why wait until Sunday at 8pm to call and say your heat has been out since Friday afternoon? You call immediately if the microwave burns your popcorn.





this is in or around Evanston

Corzine pledges 100,000 units for needy families

Our illustrious Governor has reaffirmed his vague promise to create or refurbish 100,000 units of affordable housing for New Jersey families. Aside from throwing more money at the problem, he hasn't really said how he's going to do it. That's because he has no idea. Unlike most politicians, here's a guy who actually knows someting about business, he was a big muckety-muck at Goldman Sachs for years. Unfortunately taking office seems to wipe one's mind of any pro market ideas.

How about this: Let's let the people who are ALREADY providing affordable housing (like me) continue to do so by getting the hell out of our way. By getting your hands out of both of our pockets. By ceasing the endless barrage from Trenton of useless legislation that has the opposite of it's intended effect. By ending corruption and waste once and for all so we can actually LOWER property taxes.

Only William G. Dressel, director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities seems to get the joke about property taxes. He said, "The cure is to make New Jersey a more affordable place to live ... Property tax relief is the number one way to provide affordable housing."

I currently pay over $16,000 a year in property taxes for the two small buildings that I manage. Imagine my delight to find out that the local school superintendent, who's total compensation is about $300,000 a year got caught red handed taking a $21,000 "business trip" to London at the taxpayers expense.

Yo Gubna! Cut government waste & corruption and excessive legislation and let the landlords do what they do best.

Reply From New Jersey Governor Corzine

In March, 2006, I wrote to the Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine regarding the slew of new taxes proposed in his new budget. (See the post "Tax Increases Will Kill Business in New Jersey" below). Here is his reply:








...

Reply From State Representative

Letter to my State Representatives

The following letter was sent to the governor and my state representatives where I live and own rental property. If you live in NJ I urge you to write the Governor and your State Representatives. Feel free to steal my prose below. If you don't know who your representative is e-mail me, I'll look it up for you.


Bergen County:
Ms. Charlotte Vandervalk
Mr. John E. Rooney
Mr. Gerald Cardinale


Hudson County:
Mr. Bernard F. Kenny, Jr.
Mr. Brian P. Stack
Mr. Albio Sires


**********************************************
Ms. Charlotte Vandervalk
220 Kinderkamack Road, Suite E
Westwood, NJ 07675-3601


RE: The Governor’s Proposed Tax Increases

March 22, 2006

Dear Ms. Vandervalk,

Through the above captioned company, I own and manage rental property in your legislative district.

Three of the Governor’s proposed tax increases will kill business in New Jersey:

1. Sales Tax: Increasing the sales tax will reduce sales, plain and simple. That will drive jobs from New Jersey.

2. Corporation Tax: This will strangle business and drive jobs from New Jersey.

3. Commercial Realty Transfer Tax: Landlords provide affordable housing to New Jersey families that need it. This money could be better spent on capital improvements to multifamily housing and likely would be. Landlords have to make a profit or they will leave the business. Who will be left to provide housing for New Jersey families that need it? The government. We all know how that turns out.

I understand the need to balance the budget, but may I suggest spending cuts instead of tax increases?

Thank you for reconsidering these destructive taxes.

Very truly yours,





Rosey