All Twisted Up
California landlords are holding their breath as the November election—and with it, a proposition to legalize marijuana—creeps ever closer. If passed, Propostition 19 would allow Golden Stoners Staters to possess up to 1 ounce of dope, smoke it in private (or at publicly designated locations), and grow it at home. The growth prospect, in particular, puts landlords a bit on edge, particularly as federal laws regarding the criminal possession and distribution of weed remain intact. According to the legislation, personal marijuana use under Prop 19 “may be subject to approval from the owner of the property,” a phrase deemed too vague by many in the California multifamily set. “We're hearing a lot of comments about the fact that you could have tenants setting up shop in their apartments,” California Apartment Association senior executive for public affairs Debra Carlton tells the Sacramento Bee. “They're asking if we're talking about potential sales and more traffic. Home businesses are always an issue.” According to the Bee, Carlton isn't sure yet about a CAA position but senses the association is leaning toward opposition.

Honky Tonk Woman
A New York state judge has told Bianca Jagger it’s finally time for the '70s fashion uber-icon and former Mrs. Mick Jagger to get off of her cloud and pay $708,600 in back rent and other fees owed to the landlords of a Park Avenue building after she lost a bid to retain a rent-regulated apartment there. Although Jagger lived on and off in the apartment at 530 Park Ave. for two decades, the court determined that she wasn't eligible to remain in the rent-regulated unit because the apartment wasn't her primary residence, finding that Jagger also maintained a London flat and traveled in and out of the United States on a tourist visa. A dispute with landlords Katz Park Avenue Corp. and Diamond 530 Park Avenue Owner over alleged mold and water intrusion issues initially led to Jagger refusing rent payments. Jagger's attorney Dan Bryson says his client intends to appeal the decision, and told the Wall Street Journal that a personal-injury lawsuit she filed in New York Supreme Court against the prior owner of the building will continue.

Living with Larvae
Everybody meets a creep or two at college, but a University of New Mexico student experienced roommate issues of a decidedly non-traditional type when she discovered hordes of maggots had infested her Albuquerque apartment. And were not talking about little mealy worms, either: Chelsea Worthington tells Albuquerque ABC news affiliate KOAT that the squirm-a-thon was a virtual plague of “real maggots, like dime-sized, fat, disgusting, crawling, wiggling maggots” that got into her closet, clothes, and mattress. Worthington’s landlord attempted to control the larval outbreak with bug spray to no avail, and a subsequent visit by a city code enforcer resulted in the unit being tagged as substandard. Although the landlord has vowed to correct conditions no matter what it takes, Worthington says she’ll never be able to sleep in the apartment. Sounds like an acceptable reason for worming out of a lease to us.

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