* Human Rights abuse in itty-bitty Santa Cruz [link]
The following Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request by journalist Robert Norse, of Free Radio Santa Cruz and the Street Spirit newspaper, is reproduced here in it's entirety (including additions and changes) for the record as it pertains to the ongoing research into Human Rights abuse by government agencies, business and non-profit corporations in the area of Santa Cruz.
message from Robert Norse
July 21, 2013
Ophelia B. Basgal
Region IX Administrator
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
600 Harrison Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107–1300
Tel: 415.489.6400
via email to: Ophelia.B.Basgal@hud.gov
via facsimile to: 14154896419@nextivafax.com
cc: U.S. Senator Charles, Grassley, via facsimile
cc: U.S. Senator John McCain, via facsimile
cc: U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, via facsimile
cc: U.S. Senator Dick Durban, Assistant Senate Majority Leader, via facsimile
cc: info@judiciary-dem.senate.gov
cc: U.S. Judiciary Committee, via facsimile
cc: U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, Transportation and Urban Affairs, via facsimile
cc: U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, via facsimile
cc: Criminal.Division@usdoj.gov
cc: robert.mueller@ic.fbi.gov
cc: san.francisco@ic.fbi.gov
cc: DMontoya@hudoig.gov
cc: RRitzema@hudoig.gov
cc: JLuu@hudoig.gov
cc: RSalom@hudoig.gov
cc: Secretary.Donovan@hud.gov
cc: Carol.J.Galante@hud.gov
cc: Marie.D.Head@hud.gov
cc: janet.m.golrick@hud.gov
cc: Marilyn.M.Edge@hud.gov
cc: Helen.R.Kanovsky@hud.gov
cc: Nancy.deSerpa@mail.house.gov
cc: 60m@cbsnews.com
cc: dateline@nbcuni.com
cc: frontlineworld@flworld.org
cc: stories@democracynow.org
cc: jason@truthout.org
cc: rrosenthal@cironline.org
cc: ami@therealnews.com
cc: info@ap.org
cc: nyt.washington@gmail.com
cc: Miranda.Spivack@washpost.com
cc: linda.rogers@latimes.com
cc: achance@sacbee.com
cc: mcollier@sfchronicle.com
cc: dbutler@mercurynews.com
cc: contact@pacifica.org
cc: white@kpix.cbs.com
cc: 4listens@kron4.com
cc: elizabeth@gtweekly.com
cc: jhersch6@gmail.com
cc: northbayuprising@gmail.com
cc: media@aclu.org
cc: press@crp.org
cc: jgrow@nhlp.org
cc: pscheer@firstamendmentcoalition.org
cc: colby@docktorcat.com
attached: May 26, 2013 letter with John E. Colby, Ph.D.'s Elizabeth Oaks FOIA request
re: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST for Elizabeth Oaks records documenting crimes, fraud and abuse
Dear Regional Administrator Basgal:
In order to expose to the public scandalous conditions at John Stewart Company (JSCO) managed Section 8 projects — in this instance at the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments on Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California — I am writing to submit a FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Please read the PDF attachment:
Dr. John Colby's FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST in a letter dated May 26, 2013. In it he asked for the following records about the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments — its most current Section 8 HAP contract, its most current regulatory agreements, its most current management contract, all of its property inspection reports, all written correspondence between the HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub and individuals and groups on Jose Avenue, logs of such correspondence, all written correspondence between the HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub and individuals and groups on Jose Avenue as well as JSCO and its agents, and the County of Santa Cruz which are about, pertain to, or refer to “rats”, “hot water”, “security”, “cameras” and “crime” at Elizabeth Oaks. Dr. Colby claims he has objective witnesses to this correspondence and what it's about. If HUD does not provide these to me, that would constitute a coverup: it would be scandalous. Apparently Elizabeth Oaks residents have been quite vocal in complaining to HUD about serious crimes, fraud and abuse, which HUD completely shirked. This shows a systemic failure in government oversight.
Note:
Dr. Colby serves as an independent media researcher who shares the results of his investigations with me. I am a court acknowledged journalist in Santa Cruz, California, who writes about homelessness and issues impacting the poor, like conditions in Section 8 housing.
That said, I ask for the following:
1. The most current Section 8 HAP (Housing Assistance Payments) contract for the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments.
2. The most current regulatory agreements for the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments.
3. The most current management contract for the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments.
4. All electronic and non–electronic written correspondence between HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub staff and anyone and any group at Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, from between January 01, 2000 and July 21, 2013.
5. Logs of all correspondence between HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub staff and anyone and any group at Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, from between January 01, 2000 and July 21, 2013.
6. All electronic and non–electronic written correspondence between HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub staff, anyone and any group at Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, JSCO and its agents, as well as any officials, employees, agents, agencies, departments, divisions, bodies, commissions and committees of the County of Santa Cruz about, pertaining to, or referring to “rats”, “hot water”, “security”, “cameras” and “crime” at the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments from between January 01, 2000 and July 21, 2013.
7. All logs of correspondence enumerated in item #6 above.
In order to help to determine my status to assess fees, you should know that I am a court acknowledged journalist, affiliated with Santa Cruz Indymedia and Free Radio Santa Cruz. This request is made as part of news gathering and not for a commercial use. My Santa Cruz wiki bio is linked to below: [https://scruzwiki.org/Robert_Norse]
Since Dr. Colby will be acting as an intermediary between your agency and me, serving as my media researcher. I ask you to direct your written letters to his postal address, or to the email address below, which he has set up for my correspondence with federal agencies.
Respectfully yours,
Robert Norse, Journalist
2013-07-21 "[ADDENDUM] FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST for Elizabeth Oaks records documenting crimes, fraud and abuse"
message from Robert Norse
July 21, 2013
Ophelia B. Basgal
Region IX Administrator
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
600 Harrison Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107–1300
Tel: 415.489.6400
via email to: Ophelia.B.Basgal@hud.gov
via facsimile to: 14154896419@nextivafax.com
cc: Helen.R.Kanovsky@hud.gov
cc: Nancy.deSerpa@mail.house.gov
cc: colby@docktorcat.com
I ask that if the requested materials from the copied FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST under the FOIA copied below are electronically available in Portable Document Format (PDF), MS Word Document (DOC), Hypertext Markup (HTM), eXtensible Style Language (XLS), Rich Text Format (RTF), native email formats — like AOL for Windows, Apple Mail, Claris Emailer, Compuserve, EML, Entourage, Eudora, Maildir, MBOX File, Mulberry, Neoplanet, Outlook, Outlook Express, Outspring, Powertalk, Quickmail Pro, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail, Yahoo Archive! — or as hyperlinks to the Internet that they be provided to me in those forms, preferably in their native form.
Thank you for noting this and responding appropriately.
Respectfully yours,
Robert Norse, Journalist
2013-08-14 "[AMENDMENTS] FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST for Elizabeth Oaks records documenting crimes, fraud and abuse"
message from Robert Norse
August 14, 2013
Ophelia B. Basgal
Region IX Administrator
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
600 Harrison Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107–1300
Tel: 415.489.6400
via email to: Ophelia.B.Basgal@hud.gov
via facsimile to: 14154896419@nextivafax.com
cc: elizabeth@gtweekly.com
cc: jhersch6@gmail.com
cc: northbayuprising@gmail.com
cc: jgrow@nhlp.org
cc: pscheer@firstamendmentcoalition.org
cc: colby@docktorcat.com
Dear Regional Administrator Basgal:
My media researcher, Dr. John Colby, noticed that two of my requested items subsume others, are overbroad and tangential to my reporting. Please strike items #4 and #5 below from my FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST made under the FOIA, while leaving in place items #1, #2, #3, #6 and #7. I believe these amendments are timely, will save your staff unnecessary work, and will not impede the FOIA process.
Please contact me to confirm that you have made these amendments, so my request is not overbroad and is targeted specifically to the objectives of my reporting on poverty (so that I will also be able to receive a waiver for duplication fees).
I asked for the following. Note the strikes and the keeps.
[KEEP] The most current Section 8 HAP (Housing Assistance Payments) contract for the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments.
[KEEP] The most current regulatory agreements for the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments.
[KEEP] The most current management contract for the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments.
[STRIKE] All electronic and non–electronic written correspondence between HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub staff and anyone and any group at Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, from between January 01, 2000 and July 21, 2013.
[STRIKE] Logs of all correspondence between HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub staff and anyone and any group at Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, from between January 01, 2000 and July 21, 2013.
[KEEP] All electronic and non–electronic written correspondence between HUD San Francisco Multifamily Hub staff, anyone and any group at Jose Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, JSCO and its agents, as well as any officials, employees, agents, agencies, departments, divisions, bodies, commissions and committees of the County of Santa Cruz about, pertaining to, or referring to “rats”, “hot water”, “security”, “cameras” and “crime” at the Elizabeth Oaks Apartments from between January 01, 2000 and July 21, 2013.
[KEEP] All logs of correspondence enumerated in item #6 above.
Thank you for removing these two items (in red) from my FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST under the FOIA.
Respectfully yours,
Robert Norse, Journalist
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