In response to rodents, rent hikes, code violations and other problems at apartments owned by the University of California on Western Drive in Santa Cruz, state Sen. John Laird and state Assemblymember Gail Pellerin this week pledged to pressure the university to improve living conditions.

UC bought Hilltop Apartments at 363 Western Drive as an investment, UC staff has said. UC contracts with property manager Greystar Worldwide LLC to manage its 168 apartments, and many tenants have described problems that include unexplained charges, lagging maintenance, displacement of longtime residents and alleged mistreatment of Section 8 recipients.

“There’s just lots of problems there that need to be fixed, and that’s the first priority,” said Laird, D-Santa Cruz, on Wednesday. “People are living there and there are issues that are affecting their safety and quality of life, and they need to be addressed.” 

Laird said he plans to speak with UC Regents about conditions at the property.

Find the full article here: https://santacruzlocal.org/2025/05/09/state-legislators-push-fixes-hill…