Why does the state of California do nothing about the thousands of cases of preventable heat stroke that occur every summer? Why are people dying in their own homes of heatstroke? Why, when it is a hundred degrees in my apartment, is there nothing I can do to make my place of residence livable?

What is the problem? The problem is heatstroke, and how thousands are affected and hundreds die every year.

Who does it affect? The people most likely to be affected by indoor heatstroke are children, the elderly, and the poor.

How does it affect them? Many housing units that are low income, or affordable housing, come without air conditioning units. The people who rent those units are unable for different reasons, (lack of money, needing to live close to work, nowhere else to go etc…), to just simple move to a unit with air conditioning. Also, even if the first family moves, with there being the dearth of affordable housing in the state of California, eventually someone will move into the unairconditioned unit. That person or family will have no place else to go. Because of the lack of temperature control in their unit these families are at risk of disease, sickness, and eventual death. The most visible affect of the extreme heat is heat stroke.

What is my story? I currently pay $750 a month for a two bedroom unit in a fourplex in the city of Riverside Ca. I also pay all of my utilities, with the exception of water. This is my second summer in this unit. I can’t afford to move, I don’t have the money and there is no where in Riverside to go. My neighborhood isn’t the safest in Riverside either. The house next door, which has become over a dozen separate units, has at least two drug dealers. Last week the top story had a fire set by one of the three children, or six adults in that upstairs unit. This burned unit is still be lived in. Even with all these neighborhood problems, this is the best I could get.

My house recently changed owners and the new owner has decided she doesn’t like air conditioners and doesn’t want any, not even the portable ones, installed on the property. She told me she feels it ruins the looks of her windows. She is also concerned that the older electrical system in the house could not support a unit. I can’t move, I don’t have the money and there is no where else to go.

Last summer I became ill on several occasions from the heat. I don’t look forward to another summer of shortness of breath, headaches and dizziness. But there is nothing I can do, the state of California doesn’t believe that landlords should be required to keep rental units below a certain temperature. I think I know a way to fix this problem.

So, what is my proposal? It is a simple one really, it is to place into the California housing code a provision that all rental units in California whose indoor temperature raises above 90 degrees be required to have a swamp cooler, window/wall air conditioner, portable air conditioner, or other equivalent cooling device installed that will keep the temperature at a non hazardous level. In cases where it is considered impossible to equip the unit with a cooling device, such as a home that has been established as a historic residence; or lack of access to electricity (homes that run from generators,) there should be a reduction in the rate that that residential unit can be rented for. I believe that, depending on the square feet of the residence, such a rent reduction could be based on the median price for rental units in that general area. Example: Median price for a two bedroom apartment in downtown Riverside, with street parking and only the water utility paid, is $700. A unit without air conditioning should be priced at 15% below market rate because of the inherent health concerns. The maximum rent that can be charged for the unit is $595. This law would make it more economical for landlords to provide their tenants with safe housing as they would only lose a few hundred dollars to install and maintain units rather then the loss of money every month.

Why should the Governor consider this? To put it as the housing code says residents of a rental unit have the right to "quiet enjoyment of the premises." I don't know anyone who enjoys frying an egg on their kitchen floor, and we are certainly not going to be quiet about this anymore!
What I want from the office of Governor is just a response to how he feels about people dying in their apartments. What is his response to children who can’t breathe because it is too hot to play outside, and too hot to play inside, too hot to breathe even. What is his response to the slum lords and opportunists who prey on people who are unable, for whatever reason, to move to a unit that does offer the luxury of being able to breathe. My apartment is making me sick and there is no one I can go to for help. The state of California makes sure you can stay healthy at your job, does its care for my health stop at my front door?


Star Rae Foreman
3843 3rd St, Apt UW
Riverside, Ca 92501
909-321-9939
Mon. 5:39 PM, 92 degrees and rising...



Heat exhaustion occurs when a person cannot sweat enough to cool the body. It generally develops when a person is working or exercising in hot weather. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include fatigue, weakness, headache, dizziness, or nausea, and skin that is cool, moist, pale, or flushed. Mild cases of heat exhaustion can be treated at home.
Heat exhaustion can sometimes lead to heatstroke, which requires emergency treatment. Heatstroke occurs when the body fails to regulate its own temperature and body temperature continues to rise, often to 105 °F(40.56 °C) or higher. A person with heatstroke may stop sweating. Symptoms of heatstroke include confusion, delirium, or unconsciousness, and skin that is red, hot, and dry, even under the armpits. Heatstroke is a life-threatening medical emergency.
Classic heatstroke can develop without exertion when a person is exposed to a hot environment and the body is unable to cool itself effectively. In this type of heatstroke, the body's ability to sweat and transfer the heat to the environment is reduced. Classic heatstroke may develop over several days. Babies and older adults are most at risk. People with chronic health problems are also at risk.
Exertional heatstroke may develop when a person is working or exercising in a hot environment. A person with heatstroke from exertion may sweat profusely, but the body still produces more heat than it can lose. This causes the body's temperature to rise to high levels.
Both types of heatstroke cause severe dehydration and can cause body organs to stop functioning. Emergency medical treatment is needed to prevent death.

Acne Life Insurance Death Insurance Bextra Asbestos Car Insurance Dental Plans 0 Private Jets Debt Consolidation credit Cards Rewards Cards Equity Loans Equity Line credit Loans Mortgages Pay Day Loans Cash Advance 0 Bankruptcy Reduce Debt Refinance Jet Charter Vioxx Wrongful death Legal Advice Taxes Investing Bonds 0 Online Trading IRA Rollover Refinance Quotes Adult Education Distance Learning Alcohol Treatment Rehab Drug Rehab Spyware Cell Phone Plans 0 Calling Cards VOIP Weight Loss Canadian Pharmacy Depression Spam Filter Lasik Facelift Teeth Whitening Annuity 0 Anti Virus Protection Adult Diaper Free credit Report credit Score Satellite Anti Spam Software Dedicated Hosting Domain Name Need Money Bachelor Degree 0 Master Degree Doctorate Degree Work at Home Quick Book Extra Money Eloan Malpractice Lawyer Lenox China Cancer Payperclick 0 Personal Injury Attorney Lexington Law Video Conferencing Transfer Money Windstar Cruise Casinos Online Term Life Online Banking Borrow Money Low Interest credit Cards 0 Personal Domain Name Cellular Phone Rental Internet Broker Trans Union Cheap Hosting University Degrees Online Online Marketing Consolidate Helpdesk Software Web Host 0 Homeowner's Insurance Yellow Page Advertising Travel Insurance Register Domain credit Counseling Email Hosting Business credit Consumer credit Blue Cross Laptop Computer