The Brief

Four months ago, the Palisades and Eaton fires delivered twin jolts to Los Angeles County’s already fragile housing landscape. The region’s supply of housing fell sharply as entire neighborhoods turned to ash.

And demand surged when thousands of families were forced into a rental housing market with few affordable options.

The result was as predictable as it was disturbing. Rents quickly spiked on home listings, often above the 10% limit established by California’s law against post-disaster price gouging.

Chelsea Kirk, a policy director with Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, started tracking these listings in an online spreadsheet that soon went viral, attracting national and global attention from onlookers who were outraged at how L.A. landlords were responding to the tragedy.

“I just got fired up,” Kirk told LAist in the latest episode of our Imperfect Paradise podcast.

The episode traces the growth of the Rent Brigade, a collective of like-minded rent hike investigators who assembled around Kirk with the goal of fighting post-fire price gouging.

You can listen to the full episode here:

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In the days after LA’s early-January wildfires, tenant advocate Chelsea Kirk noticed a trend: rent gouging. Rents were shooting up past their legal limit. In the wake of the fires, as natural disaster collided with LA’s severe housing shortage, we trace how a collective of volunteers organized themselves to bring rent gouging to light in LA County. What did they find? And where do we stand on rent gouged listings and charges, four months later?

How the Rent Brigade took on LA’s landlords

In the days after LA’s early-January wildfires, tenant advocate Chelsea Kirk noticed a trend: rent gouging. Rents were shooting up past their legal limit. In the wake of the fires, as natural disaster collided with LA’s severe housing shortage, we trace how a collective of volunteers organized themselves to bring rent gouging to light in LA County. What did they find? And where do we stand on rent gouged listings and charges, four months later?

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Before January was over, the Rent Brigade released a study that found more than 1,340 Zillow listings in apparent violation of the state’s price gouging law less than two weeks after the fires started. As of this week, the tally had grown to more than 8,000 listings.

Thousands of questionable listings; four criminal cases

Rent Brigade volunteers gather at Bernie's Coffee Shop near LACMA.

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Courtesy of the Rent Brigade

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For months, the group continued to document thousands more listings that appeared to have broken the law. But, so far, the number of criminal cases filed can be counted on one hand.

Prosecutors have filed misdemeanor charges over alleged price gouging in four cases:

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed charges against La Cañada Flintridge real estate agent Mike Kobeissi for allegedly raising rent on a listing by 38%. Kobeissi told LAist he had not broken the law.
  
• Bonta’s office later filed charges against real estate agent Lar Sevan Chouljian for allegedly attempting to rent a Glendale home for more than 50% above the listed rent. Chouljian said in a text message to LAist, “There was absolutely no price gouging involved.”
  
• In a third case, Bonta’s office charged landlord Edward Kushins and real estate agent Willie Baronet-Israel for allegedly increasing rent on a Hermosa Beach home by 36%. Baronet-Israel and Kushins’ attorney both told LAist they did not intend to price gouge.
  
• L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed charges against homeowner Noelle Cooke and real estate agent Roger Perry for allegedly illegally raising rent by 38%. Perry’s attorney told LAist that Perry “de-listed the property in less than a day and a half on his own accord once his company advised that the listed rent exceeded the newly enacted mandate… there was no financial harm to anyone.” LAist also reached out to Cooke for comment, but has not heard back.

In a separate case involving a short-term rental operation, prosecutors in Feldstein Soto’s office said they uncovered evidence of post-fire rent hikes of up to 56% in Zillow listings posted by Blueground US, Inc. The city attorney filed civil charges in that case, not criminal.

Some prosecutors have yet to file any charges

About a week after the fires broke out, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman joined LAist’s Airtalk and said his office had received dozens of rent gouging complaints. He said people breaking the law were “engaging in completely disgraceful and shameful conduct,” and justice would be “swift and the penalties will be severe.”

Hochman has yet to file any price gouging charges.

“The district attorney’s office cannot file charges unless law enforcement presents a case to our office for charge evaluation and case filing consideration,” a district attorney spokesperson said in an email to LAist.

“To date, while there are many pending investigations, law enforcement has not presented a case to our office to charge under California’s price gouging law,” the spokesperson said.

All the cases brought forward so far are in early stages. Arraignment dates in two of the cases filed by Bonta’s office are set for later this month. If found guilty, the defendants face up to one year in jail and up to $10,000 in fines.

For those fighting rent gouging, ‘a sense of defeat’

Rent Brigade volunteers at an event in Pasadena on May 4.

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Courtesy of the Rent Brigade

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The Rent Brigade says they’ve now found more than 8,000 listings that appear to have broken the law. Kirk said it’s been disappointing to see charges filed in connection with less than 1% of the listings documented in the spreadsheet she started.

“There was so much outrage publicly and by political actors that I thought maybe people will see justice for once,” Kirk said.

Months later, she acknowledged: “There is a sense of defeat.”

State and local prosecutors say they’ve sent hundreds of warning letters to property owners suspected of price gouging. They say these admonitions have succeeded at getting many landlords, who are sometimes unaware of the law, to lower their rents to within legal limits.

Prosecutors also say they need to see more than a fishy Zillow listing before filing charges. In order to confidently bring forward a criminal case, they want to find renters who were actually harmed. They’ve encouraged people to submit complaints that include screenshots, texts and emails showing landlords and real estate agents engaging in price gouging.

Kirk said she brought one example with a clear victim — including screenshots of text messages between a landlord and prospective tenant — to the  L.A. County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and to the L.A. city attorney’s office.

She said there’s been no movement on that case. Prosecutors have said they won’t comment on ongoing investigations.

Chelsea Kirk and a Rent Brigade volunteer at a community action night in February.

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Courtesy of the Rent Brigade

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Giving up on L.A.’s rental market

Tenant advocates say they believe some landlords have felt emboldened by the limited enforcement, raising rents above legal maximums with little fear of repercussions.

Meanwhile, some families who lost their homes to the fires became so discouraged by stratospheric rent hikes that they gave up looking at publicly listed properties.

Tina Poppy said she saw lots of price gouging in L.A.’s rental market after her family’s home in Altadena was destroyed. She said hunting for a longer-term living situation was maddening.

“I saw my old house in Silver Lake, and it was $7,000 a month,” Poppy said. “I had rented it up until 2019 for $2,000 a month. When I saw that, I just closed my laptop.”

Instead, she started working her social circle. She went down her list of friends and acquaintances to ask if any homes were available for her, her husband, two children and three dogs.

Eventually Poppy’s family landed in the home of a friend who planned to move to Pennsylvania. That friend is charging them the equivalent of her monthly homeownership costs.

Poppy said since the fires, her family has seen the best and the worst of L.A.

“People trying to profit off of your pain, and then on the flip side, people that are like, ‘Here, you can live in my home and I'll move out and I'll find another place to live,’” Poppy said. “Really, you see both sides of it — the human generosity and then, just human greed.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.