With a Relatively Short Window Left Before the Next Election Cycle, Now is the Time to Act!

This past November, Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the race to become mayor of New York City. Mamdani was a relatively unknown state assembly member representing a district in Queens when he entered a crowded mayoral race last year. As a Democratic Socialist, his espoused policies like rent freezes, tax the rich and corporations, and bigger government are clear, and during his election night speech, he freely quoted Socialist politician, Eugene Debs, who ran for president five times in the early 1900s. As mayor, Mamdani proposes lots of free things like public transportation and childcare, among others. Mamdani’s election will merely galvanize the Socialist movement across the country, so my warning to you: “look out.”

Socialism? Now? Really?!! Wasn’t that a concept from the Cold War or perhaps the Russian Revolution following the rise of Marxism? History, I guess, always repeats itself and we Americans seemingly never learn our lessons in history. Perhaps those of us Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers failed to teach our children about the failed history of the Soviet Era and Fidel Castro’s Cuba, among other lessons in history. This is all really scary…but, let me discuss a bit of history and then let me enlighten you about what we are dealing with here in the southern section of our formerly “golden” state.

A Brief History of Socialism

The history of Socialism began around the time of the French Revolution by starting out as utopian ideas and eventually growing into organized political movements in the 19th century. Major milestones in the evolution of Socialism include the writings of Karl Marx and the rise of Marxism, the establishment of socialist parties, and the emergence of democratic socialism, particularly in response to the perceived inequalities of capitalism. That’s what we “got” right here – democratic socialism, which is really just socialism, but with lipstick on that pig in the name of “democratic.”

In the 20th century, we saw the Russian Revolution in 1917 and ultimately the expansion into the Soviet Union, the rise of Communism in China following World War II, and the continued expansion of Communism (another description for just plain old “Socialism” with an adopted socialist model) in many parts of the world until one day we heard those famous words: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down these walls!” And the walls did come down, the Socialist / Communist model was unsustainable, economic conditions were horrific for the majority, and only the very few at the top of the pyramid who were or were close to the “dictator” ever benefited through special privileges that were bestowed upon them at the demise of the general population.

And here we go again. Fast forward from the late 1980s to the 2020’s, the Socialist are back, and they are here ready to take over your properties and the results of our years of sacrifice. I have heard, though, that Socialism is great until you run out of other people’s money. I’m being sarcastic here, of course.

Who, What, and Where?

Here’s a quick summary of what Socialism is all about:

• A key aspect of socialism is that all important means of production (e.g., factories, land, etc.) should be owned or controlled by society, rather than by private individuals or corporations.
• Emphasis on reducing inequality by promoting social welfare, often through government intervention in the economy and social services.
• The difference between so-called “Democratic Socialists” and plain old, garden variety “Socialists” is that democratic socialists advocate for achieving socialism through democratic means versus just the “Socialists” who favor more revolutionary or authoritarian approaches.

In fact, here’s how our local, Southern California chapter of Democratic Socialists explain their mission and goals for us Californians: “A better world is possible but not guaranteed. That’s why our members are organizing to build a world where everyone can live a life of dignity, free from injustice and capitalist exploitation. That’s what makes us “socialists.” Come join our diverse, working-class movement by becoming a member today!”

Well, are you ready? That’s quite a pitch, but I am just not motivated to sign up, and I hope that anyone reading this feels the same way.

So, who are these Socialists out there hiding behind the “Democratic” moniker? Well, take the City of Los Angeles, as an example. There were 4 of 15 members on the current City Council who are declared, “out of the closet,” Democratic Socialists, and we just recently learned that a fifth member who was hiding and has yet come out of the closet although has discussed his affiliation in a private setting. That makes one third of the Los Angeles City Council either declared or “still in the closet” Socialists, and most troubling, there are some “Democratic Democrats” on the Los Angeles City Council, like Bob “Thank G-d He’s Terming Out” Blumenfield who practically goes along with the “Democratic Socialist” bloc on the city council almost every time. Boy, did Bob fool his constituents out there in the West San Fernando Valley – it will be great to soon be able to say “farewell, Bob.” Council members Heather Hutt and Katy Yaroslavsky also tend to vote in lockstep with the Democratic Socialist members on some of the issues, including votes on expanding tenant protections and lowering our rent increases.

But who are the “real” or verified Democratic Socialists on the City of Los Angeles’ City Council, well here’s a run-down for you:

• Eunisses Hernandez – In seeking election, Ms. Hernandez was supported by the Democratic Socialist of America in seeking election. Her official bio makes her out to be a savior of society: “community organizer…witnessed firsthand the suffering wrought by decades of bad policy and negligent leadership in her own neighborhood…She’s fighting for a new vision for District 1, so it says – one can only imagine. She’s a declared Socialist Democrat.

• Nithya Raman – Like Ms. Hernandez, Ms. Raman’s campaign was supported by the Democratic Socialists of America too, but ironically, she’s married to a very wealthy guy and lives in a mansion in Los Feliz. But she does not vote that way and is a known declarant of the Democratic Socialists voting in lockstep for the concepts of her Socialist backers.

• Hugo Soto-Martinez – Mr. Martinez has shown his true colors and is one of the ones on the City Council who is “out of the closet.” He has stated on the record his association with the Democratic Socialists. He’s totally legit and standing by to expropriate your private property.

• Ysabel Jurado – Like Mr. Martinez, Ms. Jurado is a declared Democratic Socialist and she votes that way. Her bio states that she is a former “housing rights attorney” (that’s a code word for tenant union) and that she has fought to stop tenant evictions.

• Adrin Nazarian – This was new to us, but Mr. Nazarian has “unofficially” come out of the closet on this, declaring at an “unofficial” meeting recently that he is aligned with the Democratic Socialists. That’s a very disappointing and sad outcome for us. The cat’s out of the bag on you now, Adrin.

But, as they say on television, “wait, there’s more.” There’s Democratic Socialist officials abound, and their candidates continue to proliferate like some sort of cancer within our Capitalistic society. On the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, we have former West Hollywood City Councilmember and now Board Supervisor, Lindsey Horvath who is a declared Democratic Socialist. Most ironically, despite her now approximately $250,000 annual compensation package as a sitting Supervisor, she continues to occupy her Socialist hobble of a rent-controlled apartment in West Hollywood, paying far below market rent and being subsidized by her less wealthy landlord. Joining Ms. Horvath on the Board of Supervisors we have Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis, and while not overtly “declared,” they might as well come out of the closet on being Socialists because they tend to vote with and follow “Miss Lindsay” on almost everything, and particularly on matters that are always harmful to housing providers. You know the saying: “Walk like a duck, quack like a duck…”

At the state legislature, California’s Assemblymember Alex Lee is a declared Democratic Socialist and has often made proposals to restrict your property rights and impose “socialized housing” concepts. Nikki Perez on the Burbank City Council has also declared, along with various school board members on the Board of the Glendale Unified School District and Los Angeles Unified School District. And one can only assume that most of the Pasadena Rent Control Board are a bunch of Socialists given how they vote to restrict property rights.

The Democratic Socialist Belief System and Impact on Your Property Rights

Democratic socialists here in the U.S. state that they support private property ownership, but only if there’s a mix of private and social (e.g., government or non-profit) ownership focused on reducing inequality so that all of society’s basic needs are met. Those basic needs include housing as a right along with food and medical care that is paid for with more of your money. The Democratic Socialists are advocates for “social” ownership of property and key industries like utilities and transportation and strive to place limitations on the concentration of private wealth by taxing the perceived wealthy.

While a Democratic Socialist will never state they advocate for the complete abolition of private property ownership, they will seek to regulate your private property to the point that you have lost any semblance of control. In their belief system, Democratic Socialists want to regulate and restrict your ability to control private property to prevent perceived “exploitation and ensure a more equitable distribution of resources.” Now, let me translate this for you. That spells rent control and preventing evictions folks. Democratic Socialists also support imposing land value taxes, which tax the unimproved value of land, to discourage speculation and to fund public services for the benefit of the “masses” all in the name of “equity.” It sounds utopian and nice, but those of us who recall lessons in history, these principles will take us down a hell hole.

Let’s take New York City mayoral candidates and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mandani whose housing platform, entails a “new era of social housing” including:

• Establish community land trusts to buy private property and convert to community ownership
• Grant tenants the right of first refusal to buyout private landlords when properties are offered for sale (a/k/a, “T.O.P.A.” or tenant opportunity to purchase act)
• Fully commit to new era of social housing by ending subsidies for “luxury housing development”
• De-commodify housing

Socialist Agenda in Los Angeles

During November, the Los Angeles City Council considered and approved a motion by Socialist Council Member Nithya Raman to drastically reduce the allowable annual rent increase under the City’s rent stabilization ordinance. The following major changes were made:

• Reduction in the allowable increase calculation to just 60% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for “All Items” (down from the current 100% of CPI).
• Reduction in the maximum allowed increase (a/k/a, “ceiling”) to 3% (down from prior 8%) and eliminate completely any minimum increase (a/k/a, “floor”) (down from the prior 3%).
• Elimination of the additional 1% increase permitted for housing providers who pay for gas on behalf of tenants, and 1% for housing providers who pay for electricity on behalf of tenants in master metered buildings that make up 20% of all RSO units.
• Elimination of the existing 10% increase permitted for additional occupants.

These drastic changes were initiated by outside groups such as the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) and Keep LA Housed, both tenant activist and far left leaning organizations. These changes were even more extreme and damaging than the Los Angeles County’s ordinance for unincorporated areas passed in 2024, which although limits annual rent increases to 60% of CPI, the County’s ordinance also permits additional increases for small owners with 10 or fewer units (+1%) and for owners of luxury units (+2%). These changes made by the City of Los Angeles do not allow for such additional increases permitted for small owners or otherwise.

This change is so severe a reduction that I fear it will cause many small owners to go out of business. Small owners currently make up 71% of all rent stabilized properties in the City of Los Angeles. This extreme change will force many small owners of what has been “naturally occurring affordable rental housing” to be sold to developers and redeveloped as “for sale” housing or luxury rental units which does little for rental housing supply and affordability. The City could likely face losing thousands of rental stabilized units which will limit and further erode housing choices available to renters. With such drastic and harmful changes as these, there may only be far worse to come from the City Council’s Socialist agenda in the future.

My Final Thoughts

The time to stop all this nonsense is now. You own property. You’re a smart person. We know what we are dealing with here. We have an upcoming election cycle next year, that’s 2026. We have many Democratic Socialists seeking reelection and many more seeking their first time election to public office. First, don’t be fooled and please don’t vote for them. Next, I say to you: “put up or shut up.” Here’s a news flash for you…politics in this country costs money, and the candidates that raise the most money can generally win. So, please support our political action committee so we can turn around and support some quality candidates.

This next election cycle, we are forming a coalition with other, like-minded groups and will be raising as much money as possible. I encourage you. Please participate and give as much as you can or face losing a 100-times the amount you give in equity and the hard work and sacrifice you have put into providing rental housing. The time is now, and I am urging you to act before it is too late.

PLEASE, make your generous contribution today:

Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles

Political Action Committee (a/k/a, AAGLA PAC)

Attn. Cary Davidson, Treasurer

Reed & Davidson

515 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1110

Los Angeles, California 90071-3301

Alternatively, make your contribution online at www.aagla.org/CandidatesPAC. Thank you!

Daniel Yukelson is currently the Chief Executive and Executive Director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA). As Certified Public Accountant, Yukelson began his career at Ernst & Young, the global accounting firm, and since then had served in senior financial roles principally as Chief Financial Officer for various public, private and start-up companies. Prior to joining AAGLA, Yukelson served for 12 years as Chief Financial Officer for Premiere Radio Networks, now a subsidiary of I-Heart Media, and then 3 years as Chief Financial Officer for Oasis West Realty, the owner of the Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills where he was involved with the development and construction of the Waldorf. Yukelson also served for 6 years as a Planning Commissioner and for 3 years as a Public Works Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills.