YOU WON'T READ THIS IN THE L.A. TIMES

Let’s see. The last time I saw a positive profile of a landlord in the L.A. Times was… ah, how about never? If a property owner isn’t a slum lord, a tenant-hater or a racist, The Times isn’t interested.

As we know, there are great people out there who happened to own apartments. People like Chris Kimball. Among his properties is a small eight unit building in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles that I manage for him. Like in most buildings, his tenants are a mix of long-term, low-rent paying and more recent, higher-rent paying residents. When a low-rent paying unit turns over it means more cash flow and a higher building value for the owner.

A few weeks ago, one of his low-rent tenants didn’t pay, so, as the management company, we filed a three-day notice. The tenant never responded so, we commenced an eviction. After being served with the unlawful detainer, the tenant sent us the rent. We told the tenant that we would have to check with the owner before accepting payment. The tenant’s rent was $529 and the market value of the unit was $800. If the owner had refused the rent and proceeded to eviction, which he would probably would have won, his cash flow would have increased $271 per month and the value of his building would have risen by $36,000.

Anyway, we contacted Chris and asked him what he wanted to do. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said to go ahead and accept the rent, forgoing a monthly raise and a big increase in equity.

Why did he do this? Simple, he wasn’t greedy and had compassion for another person.

This is real compassionate conservatism, not the nationally advertised brand; that involves being sympathetic with the tax payer’s money. Being generous with your own money is what true compassion is about. So, kudos to Chris Kimball– A Bonafide Compassionate Conservative.