It seems that since the housing bubble has burst (for which I as a poor student am all to thankful for), the trash who had to move to Live Oak bcause they had no job, no school loans, and merely the kindness of the methamphetamine trade were able to move back to downtown Santa Cruz. Don't get me wrong, I'm as liberal as the next gal, but I don't really want some date rapist playing Metallica riffs on his bass at three am while the jackass security guard pretends to do about it while he actually just buys meth of the guy. I mean, I can hear the dude knocking on the door, I can can hear the conversation next door, I'm not an idiot.

There's plenty of ---- wrong with the actual complex. Like how ever since they got the New Friendly Management, there's this horrible overenthusiastic greasy go-getter type who works in the office. And the rent is outrageous. Really, kids, don't move into an apartment. I've lived in Santa Cruz since 1999 and it pays to get a bunch of friends and split up a big house, and definitely with a way-off-site landlord.

And then there's The Mold/Mildew. It's actually in the lease that the management waives all responsibility for any mold or mildew in the buildings and that it is solely the tenants' responsibility. Well, that's impossible, for a couple reasons. First off, the ventilation is terrible, and it's very humid here. Second, mold is like an iceberg. What you see on the surface tends to be just the tip. Now, I do NOT know for a fact that the mold is or isn't embedded in the structure of the buildings. But just 'cause there's a layer of paint doesn't mean the mold can't get to the other side of the wall. People who move into these apartments tend to be people fresh off of campus and don't know their rights: you're getting totally ----ed. A: they have no right to make anyone sign that, and B: even once you sign that, you still have rights. Read up, especially if you have allergies or water damage.

Other bad things:

-The lighting fixtures, lightswitches, and pretty much everything is cheap and insubstantial. This is true of almost every apartment, though. Also, the drawers fall apart. The garbage disposals sound like Armageddon. They finally replaced our toilet in summer of 2005 after we told them damage was being done to their property, because the downstairs neighbors' ceiling had been leaking for some time and our bathroom lino had been moldy for months. They still haven't come to re-seal our bathtub tile, and it's six months later. Althought I must say that Noah the Handyman is quite nice and professional on all levels.
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-If you're a college student, or a person who likes to sleep late, or person who likes to be at home in the morning, you will probably find the Dueling Chainsaws and Leafblowers at 9am pretty disturbing.

-You have to pay more if you live by the "creek," which is really just a ditch that breeds mosquitoes.

-Nobody talks to their neighbors.

-Nobody feels the need to restrain their children from just going outside and, you know, screaming for no reason. A fun wholesome activity...I know kids did that in the 50s all the time.

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