She turned to the East Palo Alto Rent Stabilization Board, filing petitions against her landlord requesting action under the city's rent control law. For Hartwell and the other tenants of the Cooley Avenue building, life is better these days. They still have the same landlord, but there's now an apartment manager who keeps an eye on things and makes sure the garbage doesn't pile up. A little over a decade ago, Hartwell would not have had the help of the rent board. Things aren't perfect, but they're better.
Landlords tell a different story.
Richard Herndon of Palo Alto owns the 33-unit Pepper Tree Apartments near the old Ravenswood High School. His building will be torn down to make way for the Gateway 101 redevelopment project. He'll be compensated for his land and building and his tenants will be relocated. That means that Herndon, who built the apartment building 30 years ago, will be getting out of the landlord business. This is the plague of a lifetime.