Editor, Daily Nexus
It has been very interesting to follow the Cedarwood Apartments issue. First, Cervin Morris and other activists wanted publicity. They staged rallies and fundraisers and called the press in order to bring attention to what they perceived as a “cause.”

Now they have changed their tune. Morris recently said, “The tenants’ chances of finding new housing have already been hurt by the constant media coverage.” Say what, Morris? After drumming up publicity for weeks, you now blame the press for the publicity?

Moreover, Morris seems to feel that he knows better than the tenants and their attorneys. “This is not a settlement by any means,” Morris said. “I think it has been spun by the press to say the families got something.” So the tenants and their attorneys settled, but Morris is not happy with the settlement and intends to take the matter further?

Actually, we would agree with Morris’s position if he had directed his efforts toward the source of the problems found in the UCSB/I.V. community – as opposed to merely rabblerousing and self-promoting feel-good stunts. In early November, we chided Morris and his merry band of followers with the following comments on www.thedarksideofucsb.com:

“If UCSB and SBCC lowered the number of new students admitted, there would be fewer people looking for housing. Therefore, rents would be lower. Here endth the lesson. If you want to find the culprit for the evictions, just look at increased admissions – continued growth from UCSB and SBCC caused the problem. Or would this simple answer not be as much fun as blaming the greedy landlords and whipping up racial divisions? If you want to protest someone, try Yang. The real estate owner is merely responding to market conditions in I.V. – a one-sided, ever-increasing demand market created by UCSB and SBCC. One more thing: Has anyone even looked into how many of the UCSB faculty own investments in I.V. real estate?”

Even the tenants understood who created the problem. The tenants actually blamed the students when they said, “Conquest Student Housing, the alleged new owner of the property, wanted them out in order to rent exclusively to students.” Did you catch that? Conquest wants to rent to “students.” It is the student housing demand that is to blame for the Cedarwood evictions.

Cedarwood is not a racial issue, and I would urge everyone to ignore the self-serving screeds of those who are merely looking for a cause to inflame passions. The Cedarwood evictions were (note the use of the past tense) a housing issue and an economic issue that have been addressed by the courts. Move on.
JAMES BARON