With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
LA housing officials suggest policies to discourage evictions
LA housing officials say the city must find ways to keep people from being evicted to make way for new developments.
(
Susanica Tam/For KPCC
)
Listen
0:49
LA housing officials suggest policies to discourage evictions
Los Angeles housing officials are urging the City Council to tighten renter protections to slow the use of a state law that lets landlords to remove units from the rental market and evict the tenants inhabiting them.
The city's housing department presented a report Wednesday showing no-fault evictions allowed under the state's Ellis Act are growing, leaving displaced tenants scrambling for housing in one of the least affordable cities in the country.
"It began to rise again in approximately 2013 and tripled between 2013 and 2014" after plunging during the recession, said Anna Ortega of the L.A. Housing and Community Development department.
The Ellis Act lets landlords evict tenants if they want to put up a new building or convert apartments to condominiums. They invoked the law to take nearly 1,100 units off the market in 2015 alone.
Sponsored message
Source: Los Angeles Housing and Community Development Department
Ortega said L.A. should require annual status reports from developers who evicted people under the law, to ensure they are not ignoring rent stabilization rules. Any new apartments constructed less than five years after rent-stabilized evictions must also be regulated, according to the law.
Ortega said the city should also back efforts to amend the Ellis Act at the state level. She wants the council to pass a resolution supporting an amendment to require a one-year notification to all tenants facing Ellis Act evictions — not just to disabled and elderly ones, as the law currently reads.
Scores of people filled City Council chambers Wednesday on what they declared the third annual Renters' Day to call for more renter protections.
POWER members taking up a whole row plus for #RentersDayLA href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RentersDayLA?src=hash">#RentersDayLA
Some said they’ve been "Ellis’ed" or are about to be "Ellis'ed."
"I’m asking for you to take care of renters and tenants in this city," said Dee Ann Newkirk of Beverly Grove. She told the council's Housing Committee that the developer who bought her rent-controlled building has already torn down other nearby buildings. "We do not deserve to be evicted all in the name of profit and greed."
Sponsored message
The developer - Wiseman Residential - did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
