From Westley at da-parish.com Sun Oct 25 10:57:35 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:57:35 -0500 Subject: [StBernard] e update 10 24 09 Message-ID: <0a3201ca5583$7d30fe40$7792fac0$@com> e-update 10.24.09 This month in Congress I worked to bring about a change in the law that will ensure affordable and safe generic medications are made available sooner, closing a loophole that allows big-name drug companies to keep prices high on the medicine that you need. I also met with the U.S. Trade Representative to discuss the ongoing controversy over Chinese drywall in our hurricane recovery and called attention to a recent attempt to weaken our laws on illegal immigration. Below you can read about these and other issues that I'm working on, such as ensuring transparency in the drafting of government-run health care legislation. David Vitter P.S. - Please feel free to forward the newsletter to your friends, neighbors and business associates, and encourage them to sign up for their own copy by visiting my Web site at http://vitter.senate.gov/. GETTING AFFORDABLE MEDICINE TO MARKET SOONER This month, I joined U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen to introduce a bill that will provide patients with faster access to affordable prescription drugs. The bipartisan Access to Affordable Medicines Act would close a loophole some brand name drug companies exploit that needlessly and unfairly delays the entry of safe, lower-cost generic drugs to the consumer market. Read more about the bill here . HOLDING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Back in July, we scored a major victory in the fight against illegal immigration with the unanimous approval of my amendment to the Department of Homeland Security's annual spending bill that would have ensured the continuance of the "no-match" program, which allows prospective employers to identify illegal workers. This week, however, that provision was stripped from the bill during the House-Senate conference process; this is clearly a step in the wrong direction. You can read more about this situation here . KEEPING IMPORTED PRODUCTS TO THE SAME STANDARDS AS AMERICAN PRODUCTS This week, I met with Ambassador Ron Kirk, the United States Trade Representative, to discuss problems with Chinese drywall, which have been a serious issue for Louisiana families trying to rebuild their homes after the devastation of the 2005 hurricanes. You can learn more about our meeting here at my website. ENSURING TRANSPARENCY IN THE GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS This month, I joined U.S. Sens. Jim Bunning, Jim DeMint, Mike Crapo, Mike Johanns, John Thune and Jim Risch in introducing a resolution that would change Senate rules to require all legislative matters, along with a Congressional Budget Office estimate of their cost, to be made publicly available for 72 hours before being considered on the Senate floor or in committee. You can learn more about the resolution here . For any other questions or concerns visit my Web site at: www.vitter.senate.gov. From westley at da-parish.com Sun Oct 25 11:05:22 2009 From: westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:05:22 -0500 Subject: [StBernard] St. Bernard housing rules pit neighbor against neighbor Message-ID: <0a4201ca5584$9347ca00$b9d75e00$@com> St. Bernard housing rules pit neighbor against neighbor By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune October 25, 2009, 5:39AM In a quiet corner of Arabi, the 7200 block of Success Street has become the latest battleground over post-Katrina housing in St. Bernard. On one side is David Jarrell, a landlord seeking a parish permit to rent out his property. On the other are two neighbors, Christine Roig and Joanna Ragas, who applied for the permit earlier but have no immediate plans to rent. Parish regulations prevent two rentals within a limited space, so technically Jarrell's permit request is invalid. He has since brought the matter to state court, and the decision is pending before the Parish Council. "They talk about the free market, " Jarrell said. "Well, this is the exact opposite of that." As St. Bernard's real estate market stagnates after the double whammy of untold destruction and economic recession, concerns about the proliferation of rentals have prompted homeowners to take block-by-block stands in subdivisions across the parish. In some cases, residents are using the parish's own rental ordinance to prevent new rentals near them, using a provision that prevents more than two new permits within 500 feet. For many St. Bernardians, the fear of rentals is a gut reaction to the changes wrought by Katrina. Neighborhoods once filled with generations of familiar faces have failed to come back, and renters symbolize a new, transient element. "It wasn't to keep anyone in particular out, it was to just keep out the influx of rentals, to the point where all of a sudden it's not a neighborhood anymore, " said Sandy Farragut, who applied for a rental permit on Lyndel Drive in Chalmette but has no immediate plans to rent. But the trend points to shortcomings in the parish's controversial rental process, which does not require property owners to show proof that the property is actually being leased and includes no sunset on the rental permit. Rental policies in St. Bernard have been the subject of two separate federal court cases. The most recent version, with the 500-foot limits, got the green light from U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance last fall. But since her ruling , there have been practical problems with enforcing the law. Parish administrators don't ask for a lease agreement, meaning those that receive the permit need not prove that they are actually leasing their property. Officials say it would be too burdensome to monitor every lease at every property. In addition, there's no formal way to revoke a permit for landlords who fail to maintain their property or are a nuisance to neighbors. And many rentals fly under the radar, where property owners never apply for permits until they are reported. The Parish Council last week tabled several dozen permit requests, citing problems with the rental law. Some council members and Parish President Craig Taffaro are considering major revisions. But because St. Bernard has been under the legal microscope, politicians have been hesitant to alter the law and face additional lawsuits. "I don't like the ordinance at all the way it's written," said Earl Dauterive, the chairman of the parish's Planning Commission, which reviews reams of permissive use permits before they go to the Parish Council for final approval. "But I've got to live with it." In the case on Success Street in Arabi, Jarrell began refurbishing a house he bought this spring. Before he was done with the renovations, his next-door neighbor, Christine Roig, had applied for a permissive use permit -- in essence formal permission to rent her property. Joanna Ragas, a neighbor on the opposite corner, did the same. Roig's permit was approved last month, technically preventing Jarrell from renting out his property. He has already leased out the property, in violation of parish leasing regulations, and has protested the law at several recent council meetings. "You're making it where it's a dice roll, " said Jarrell, a lawyer who works at the law firm of Sidney Torres III. "I wanted to be here in St. Bernard, and make St. Bernard a better place. It frustrates me that the parish has a system that is hurting people like me." The response has not been receptive. "You took a chance, by buying a property that was not properly zoned, and now you're upset because it didn't work out, " Councilman Ray Lauga said recently. Ragas, the other property owner on the block, defended her permit application. "I am going to be looking for a bigger house, because if I expand my family, I'm going to need a bigger house, " she said. "The ordinance doesn't say that I have to rent the house within 90 days, 190 days or anything." The rental fears in St. Bernard are largely the byproduct of a real estate market in a tailspin. Even before Katrina, St. Bernard's home values were noticeably lower than neighboring parishes. Obviously in 2006 those sales prices plummeted, with abandoned and flooded homes in some cases going for less than half of their pre-Katrina values. Average sales prices have continued to increase, but are still below pre-Katrina levels and are priced much less than homes in Jefferson Parish or Belle Chasse, according to a recent report commissioned by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. What's saddling home values overall in St. Bernard are the massive differences in the type of properties for sale: some vacant lots, some abandoned and gutted homes, some completely refurbished ones. "The sprinkling of homes and shells of varying types makes it difficult to value, with the result being that St. Bernard is both a discounted market and a split one where the impacts of the split reduce all values, " according to the Greater New Orleans Foundation report. Drive down any block in the parish, and the number of "for sale" signs is striking. Many houses and lots have sat on the market for more than a year, and often property owners have no choice but to make up the difference by renting out property. The scattershot approach has led to unintended consequences, where neighbors feel obliged to protect their investments and prevent a backslide of property values. "I think that you have more of an ad-hoc reaction to events when you don't have a plan that guides you - an overarching plan, " said Marco Cocito-Monoc, director of regional initiatives for the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The recently released report from his group points out the real estate trends, but also urges the parish leadership to be more proactive in demolishing vacant commercial buildings and homes. The outcome would be a landscape with more open space, but less overall blight. Taffaro in the past has run up against opposition to demolitions from some homeowners, and significant FEMA roadblocks in demolishing commercial property. In the near term, Taffaro said there are plans in the works to craft a rental licensing ordinance that would improve enforcement and verify that properties with permits are actually being rented. "If that accomplishes the same goal, then maybe we could look at doing away with the current ordinance entirely, " Taffaro said. From Westley at da-parish.com Sun Oct 25 23:30:17 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:30:17 -0500 Subject: [StBernard] America and St. Bernard as we've known it - Message-ID: <0b5601ca55ec$a3e706b0$ebb51410$@com> If you have/had any doubt that OB-1-k-NO-BEE has any plans of advancing his one world order of socialism for all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40 America and St. Bernard as we've known it - is it no more? I've warned repeatedly about the outcome as such from one who has the power to bring America down to its knees. Now we are at the threshold of such a dramatic change in bondage for us all.. --jer-- From Westley at da-parish.com Sun Oct 25 23:30:31 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:30:31 -0500 Subject: [StBernard] A think test........ Message-ID: <0b5701ca55ec$abb9be00$032d3a00$@com> I got 23 CLICK ON THE BELOW LINK AND TAKE THE TEST. THE NORMAL RATE IS 7 OUT OF 25. GOOD LUCK! Http://oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/thinktst.htm From Westley at da-parish.com Sun Oct 25 23:31:04 2009 From: Westley at da-parish.com (Westley Annis) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:31:04 -0500 Subject: [StBernard] St. Bernard housing rules pit neighbor against neighbor Message-ID: <0b5801ca55ec$bfb62ab0$3f228010$@com> >In the near term, Taffaro said there are plans in the works to craft a >rental licensing ordinance that would improve enforcement and verify that >properties with permits are actually being rented. And please Craig, find a way to make sure they are ***not*** being rented as Sec. 8 properties. As for Mr. Jarrell, assistant blood-sucker to the chief blood-sucker Mr. Torres, I feel no empathy or pity or sorrow for him. Out to make a quick buck and that was it. >"I wanted to be here in St. Bernard, >and make St. Bernard a better place. It frustrates me that the parish has a >system that is hurting people like me." Are **you** living in St. Bernard Mr. Jarrell? Owner-occupied is the best way to help St. Bernard. JY ----------------------------------------------------- St. Bernard housing rules pit neighbor against neighbor By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune October 25, 2009, 5:39AM In a quiet corner of Arabi, the 7200 block of Success Street has become the latest battleground over post-Katrina housing in St. Bernard. On one side is David Jarrell, a landlord seeking a parish permit to rent out his property. On the other are two neighbors, Christine Roig and Joanna Ragas, who applied for the permit earlier but have no immediate plans to rent. Parish regulations prevent two rentals within a limited space, so technically Jarrell's permit request is invalid. He has since brought the matter to state court, and the decision is pending before the Parish Council. "They talk about the free market, " Jarrell said. "Well, this is the exact opposite of that." As St. Bernard's real estate market stagnates after the double whammy of untold destruction and economic recession, concerns about the proliferation of rentals have prompted homeowners to take block-by-block stands in subdivisions across the parish. In some cases, residents are using the parish's own rental ordinance to prevent new rentals near them, using a provision that prevents more than two new permits within 500 feet. For many St. Bernardians, the fear of rentals is a gut reaction to the changes wrought by Katrina. Neighborhoods once filled with generations of familiar faces have failed to come back, and renters symbolize a new, transient element. "It wasn't to keep anyone in particular out, it was to just keep out the influx of rentals, to the point where all of a sudden it's not a neighborhood anymore, " said Sandy Farragut, who applied for a rental permit on Lyndel Drive in Chalmette but has no immediate plans to rent. But the trend points to shortcomings in the parish's controversial rental process, which does not require property owners to show proof that the property is actually being leased and includes no sunset on the rental permit. Rental policies in St. Bernard have been the subject of two separate federal court cases. The most recent version, with the 500-foot limits, got the green light from U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance last fall. But since her ruling , there have been practical problems with enforcing the law. Parish administrators don't ask for a lease agreement, meaning those that receive the permit need not prove that they are actually leasing their property. Officials say it would be too burdensome to monitor every lease at every property. In addition, there's no formal way to revoke a permit for landlords who fail to maintain their property or are a nuisance to neighbors. And many rentals fly under the radar, where property owners never apply for permits until they are reported. The Parish Council last week tabled several dozen permit requests, citing problems with the rental law. Some council members and Parish President Craig Taffaro are considering major revisions. But because St. Bernard has been under the legal microscope, politicians have been hesitant to alter the law and face additional lawsuits. "I don't like the ordinance at all the way it's written," said Earl Dauterive, the chairman of the parish's Planning Commission, which reviews reams of permissive use permits before they go to the Parish Council for final approval. "But I've got to live with it." In the case on Success Street in Arabi, Jarrell began refurbishing a house he bought this spring. Before he was done with the renovations, his next-door neighbor, Christine Roig, had applied for a permissive use permit -- in essence formal permission to rent her property. Joanna Ragas, a neighbor on the opposite corner, did the same. Roig's permit was approved last month, technically preventing Jarrell from renting out his property. He has already leased out the property, in violation of parish leasing regulations, and has protested the law at several recent council meetings. "You're making it where it's a dice roll, " said Jarrell, a lawyer who works at the law firm of Sidney Torres III. "I wanted to be here in St. Bernard, and make St. Bernard a better place. It frustrates me that the parish has a system that is hurting people like me." The response has not been receptive. "You took a chance, by buying a property that was not properly zoned, and now you're upset because it didn't work out, " Councilman Ray Lauga said recently. Ragas, the other property owner on the block, defended her permit application. "I am going to be looking for a bigger house, because if I expand my family, I'm going to need a bigger house, " she said. "The ordinance doesn't say that I have to rent the house within 90 days, 190 days or anything." The rental fears in St. Bernard are largely the byproduct of a real estate market in a tailspin. Even before Katrina, St. Bernard's home values were noticeably lower than neighboring parishes. Obviously in 2006 those sales prices plummeted, with abandoned and flooded homes in some cases going for less than half of their pre-Katrina values. Average sales prices have continued to increase, but are still below pre-Katrina levels and are priced much less than homes in Jefferson Parish or Belle Chasse, according to a recent report commissioned by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. What's saddling home values overall in St. Bernard are the massive differences in the type of properties for sale: some vacant lots, some abandoned and gutted homes, some completely refurbished ones. "The sprinkling of homes and shells of varying types makes it difficult to value, with the result being that St. Bernard is both a discounted market and a split one where the impacts of the split reduce all values, " according to the Greater New Orleans Foundation report. Drive down any block in the parish, and the number of "for sale" signs is striking. Many houses and lots have sat on the market for more than a year, and often property owners have no choice but to make up the difference by renting out property. The scattershot approach has led to unintended consequences, where neighbors feel obliged to protect their investments and prevent a backslide of property values. "I think that you have more of an ad-hoc reaction to events when you don't have a plan that guides you - an overarching plan, " said Marco Cocito-Monoc, director of regional initiatives for the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The recently released report from his group points out the real estate trends, but also urges the parish leadership to be more proactive in demolishing vacant commercial buildings and homes. The outcome would be a landscape with more open space, but less overall blight. Taffaro in the past has run up against opposition to demolitions from some homeowners, and significant FEMA roadblocks in demolishing commercial property. In the near term, Taffaro said there are plans in the works to craft a rental licensing ordinance that would improve enforcement and verify that properties with permits are actually being rented. "If that accomplishes the same goal, then maybe we could look at doing away with the current ordinance entirely, " Taffaro said.