Christian Britschgi | The Libertarian Institute

Seattle Sued Over Law Banning Landlords From Conducting Criminal Background Checks

by Christian Britschgi | May 6, 2018 | Featured Articles, Justice, Politics

In August 2017, Seattle made it illegal for landlords to decline potential tenants because of their criminal history, or even to perform a criminal background check on people looking to rent their property. Now a collection of landlords is suing, claiming the so-called Fair Chance Housing Ordinance is unconstitutional. On Tuesday, the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a public interest law firm, filed suit on behalf of several small-time landlords who are concerned about the financial and personal safety risks of being unable to screen tenants for past wrongdoing. The PLF's complaint claims...

SF Man Has Spent 4 Years and $1 Million Trying to Get Approval to Build Apartments on His Own Property

by Christian Britschgi | Feb 24, 2018 | Economics, Featured Articles

To understand how difficult and expensive it is to build housing in San Francisco, observe the case of Robert Tillman. Tillman owns a single-story laundromat in the city's Mission District. Since 2014, he has been attempting to develop his property into a 75-unit apartment building. The city is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, with an average one-bedroom apartment going for $3,400 a month. So you might think Tillman's project would sail through the permitting process. Instead, the city's labyrinthine process of reviews, regulations, and appeals has dragged on for four years....

Left and Right React to the Texas Shooting

by Christian Britschgi | Nov 6, 2017 | Featured Articles, Justice

New details continue to trickle out about Sunday's mass shooting at a the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas which has left at least 26 people dead. According to law enforcement, alleged shooter Devin P. Kelley phoned his father during the high-speed chase that followed the massacre in the church telling him that he had been shot and "didn't think he was going to make it." Kelley was being pursued by two civilians, one of whom had shot at and reportedly hit Kelley after he exited the church. Law enforcement later found Kelley dead in his truck, from what they say was an...