A Landord’s Tale

[EconProf]

Here is a a true account about a series of events I went through some two to three decades ago in San Diego. It should make for good cheer in this holiday season.
It happened in several phases, and I’ll start toward the end.
I walked into a “tenants attorney” office and paid a sleaze-ball attorney (SBA) several hundred dollars in cash to defend against an pending eviction of a tenant (not my tenant). How do I know he was a SBA? I had gone against him months earlier in an eviction from my 4-plex building in Santee. The SBA was known for defending every kind of tenant with any means possible, no matter how egregious the tenant’s actions (OK, that’s our legal system–everyone needs legal representation), and no matter what dirty tactics he chose to use in the process, and they were legendary in San Diego.
In my Santee case, the tenant–a druggie with a wife and two children under ten was doing great damage to the apartment, the other tenants, and probably his family. He said he would use SBA to stop or greatly delay the eviction, so had seemingly used the SBA in the past. The last time I had tried to collect his overdue rent he was lying on a sofa in the living room with his family, high as a kite, with his legs shaking from the drugs. Of course, he scared my other three tenants. He said he was a carpenter and would take a framing hammer to all the sheetrock in the apartment. We ended up with a “cash for keys” outcome plus ten days more of possession.
Back to the start of this story. A year or so later, I was having a McDonalds lunch at their El Cajon Avenue location at (about) 27th Street. I sat at a long table amongst several other customers, including a mixed-race shabbily-dressed female as I ate and read the newspaper. Finished up, drove to a Home Depot store to buy landlord’s supplies and at the checkout counter discovered I did not have my billfold in my pocket. Alarmed, I guessed that the McDonald’s table was where I had left the billfold. With little hope of recovery, I drove back. As I parked there, the lady was in front of the McDonalds, waving my billfold in the air. I thanked her profusely and we went inside and talked for half an hour, each explaining our background, employment, etc.
She worked part-time cleaning up at a downtown restaurant, low paying, and lived in one of those ancient, now gone SROs (single-room occupancy) hotels with the restroom down the hallway. She said she was being unfairly evicted, and though I don’t remember the details, I felt she was being treated unfairly.
Footnote: She didn’t have the accent of most US Blacks, so I delved into her past. Turns out she was the born in Japan, offspring of a US serviceman and Japanese mother. Such mixed-race children do not fare well in Japan, so her father, whom she adores, brought her back to the US and now lives far away.
She was distressed because she could not afford the initial fee attorneys charge to begin to fight an eviction.
You can guess what I had to do next. We drove to an ATM and then the office of the SBA, where I paid the fee for her to fight the eviction. Of course her landlord caved without going to trial, as he had to know the reputation of said SBA.
We exchanged letters for a while, with her telling me of her progress, and calling me “her angel” for helping her. My wife and I enjoyed the letters as she continued to progress, and eventually I let the contacts lapse.
Conclusions: Don’t judge character by appearance. And poor people can be astonishingly ethical and honest.
Happy holidays to my fellow Piggs.

[flyer]

With so much keeping me busy, I rarely visit, but thought I’d stop by to see what’s up at Piggington.

Always enjoy stories of goodwill toward others, and nice to hear yours, EP.

Hope all is going well for you and your family, and Happy Holidays!

[svelte]

Great story EP, thanks for sharing.

Yes there are many wonderful and ethical people who don’t make much money for one reason or another. Thank you for helping one out!

I’m still in contact with a number of people in a few of the places I’ve lived in this country from several hundred to several thousand miles away. We visit them when we can.

Probably well over half of them make probably $30-45K a year in a good year and live paycheck to paycheck. One of them is continually in hot water with the IRS for nonpayment. But they are genuinely good people – just poor at managing money. And these are smart people…when we visit they can go toe to toe with me in virtually any conversation except my profession. I’ve had many an epiphany just talking with them.

I’ve often talked with my wife about this. These people could do my job with the right training, but they chose not to apply themselves. Some graduated college, one was my college buddy, some went to high school with us, some were our neighbors. But they chose to live a simpler life and are unconcerned with money or status.

They have not been intimidated when we visit though we are at a way different income level now because they don’t care about money or status. They care about people and have centered their life around that. But as we approach retirement age, I have noticed a change in at least two of them. It has dawned on them they may never be able to retire, while we’ve stashed enough back that we are discussing when we are going to do just that. That, I think, bothers two of them. They are starting to regret their choice, I think.

One of them has found an interesting solution. She became a caregiver to a relatively famous person (people in San Diego have never heard of him but you say his name in the state he lives and everyone will know the name). She’s been doing it for about two years now and this man has come to make her almost a part of his family. He invited her to live on his large estate, bought her a very nice car, and has her kids, grandkids, and friends come over for parties using his large pool, manicured lawns, patios, etc. Recently he has signed a document stating how much a bonus she’ll get for every year she stays – and it is considerable. If he happens to die early, she also gets another considerable sum. It’s really an interesting and inventive situation that solves problems for both of them. He even solicits business advice from her sometimes. I’m very happy for her. And him, because she is a wonderful person who deserves to make a difference in someone’s life. I’m glad someone besides just me and my wife recognizes that. 🙂

[flyer]

Speaking of caregivers. With statistics supporting the fact that life expectancy is declining in the US, there seem to be more and more people in need of care, so their services are definitely in high demand.

Over the years, and because most wanted to be cared for at home, rather than be placed in a facility, we’ve had the privilege of having several caregivers help us with family members and friends who have needed assistance in their homes, and, if you’ve ever witnessed a compassionate person taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s or other terminal condition, you’ve witnessed the meaning of true love. With all that they’ve given our family and friends, we have been honored to set up funds for them and their families, and I’m glad to hear others are doing the same.

[svelte]

Yes when she told me about it I asked how often he gets out and about…she said he still goes to the head office of his business (10 miles or so) to work most days, driving himself there and back.

That confused me! I asked then why does he need a permanent caregiver onsite and she said he has health issues at unpredictable times. Due to confidentiality laws she didn’t say what but indications are he has many years ahead of him still. It just makes him and his family more comfortable knowing that should something happen she is just a few hundred feet away and could render aid almost immediately.

What makes it even odder is that they are at opposite ends of the political spectrum. He is very hard right and she is very hard left. Yet they have come to respect each other and get along. I think it is a great thing. They have given each other insight into how they got to their perspectives through the paths they’ve traveled.

[urbanrealtor]

Did the attorney’s last name rhyme with a coin?
Fairly certain I know to whom you are referring.

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