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Coalition for Economic Survival (CES)
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Interactive Map Shows 22,132 Rent Control Units in LA Lost from 2001 thru June 2017
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7 RSO Units Lost a Day
LA Ellis Act Evictions
More Than
Double in
2nd Quarter of 2017!
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The City of Los Angeles saw 638 more Ellis Act Eviction application filed by
landlords and developers for the second quarter of 2017, April through June. This is the equivalent of losing 7 Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) units a day or 212 RSO units a month during this period.
This affordable housing loss is more than double the 294 rent controlled units lost to the Ellis Act in the first quarter (January - March) of 2017.
This brings the first half 2017 total of RSO units lost in the City of LA to 932.
The Ellis Act, a state law passed in 1985, which undermines local rent control laws, provides landlords the ability to evict tenants in order to remove housing units from the rental market.
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The map, using data provided by the
Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department (HCIDLA),
visually shows the devastating impact the Ellis Act has had on tenants being displaced and affordable rent controlled housing lost. One can view the address of the buildings and the number of units lost there, due to the Ellis Act, by hovering over the dot using a computer mouse or laptop touch pad.
The housing loss impact has been on neighborhoods across the city, thus worsening Los Angeles' affordable housing shortage.
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"After mapping Ellis Act evictions in San Francisco and analyzing their devastating effects, we have long wanted to visualize their growth in Los Angeles. But it wasn't until we began mapping the LA Ellis Act data that we had any idea how grave the eviction crisis is in LA, and which areas are being most impacted," said Erin Mcel, co-director or the
Anti-Eviction Mapping Project.
Coalition for Economic Survival Executive Director Larry Gross stated that, "The housing crisis facing Los Angeles is one of the most severe in the nation. With this map, which we continue to update, we are able to visually see how the Ellis Act has ravaged our city's affordable rent controlled housing stock. Unfortunately, we are also able to see how the evictions are increasing and spreading across Los Angeles making it way into more and more neighborhoods."
Los Angeles is a city of renters with approximately 64% of its residents being tenants. Unfortunately, approximately 64% of those renters are paying unaffordable rents, with many paying 50% or more of their income to rent.
Los Angeles has the highest poverty rate in the nation at 26%, meaning one in every four households is living in poverty.
We have a severe overcrowded housing situation here with families needing to double up and triple up to afford the rent. Seven out of the 10 zips codes in the nation with the most overcrowded conditions are in LA.
The Ellis Act only contributes to our existing housing crisis situation.
We can no longer allow developers to go into communities and just bulldoze them to put up high-priced luxury housing. Because, if this continues, next time around there will be another initiative, which will deal with these issues directly, and it will gather more support.
Short of eliminating the Ellis Act all together, which CES fully supports, the State Legislature should, at the minimum, take action to amend the Ellis Act in the following way:
- Restrict the ability to use the Ellis Act to property owners who have owned the property for at least 5 years
- Limit the number of times a year a developer can use the Ellis Act.
- Provide all tenants, regardless of age or family status, with a one-year notice of eviction. (Assembly Bill - AB 982 introduced by Assembly Members Bloom Assembly Members Richard Bloom and David Chiu, and Senator Ben Allen would provide for a one year notice to all receiving Ellis Act evictions. Unfortunately, AB 982 became a two-year bill due to the lack of Assembly support. We need to push for its adoption next year.)
These actions would curb speculators buying rent controlled property for the sole
purpose of demolishing and destroying this affordable housing.
And, while the Ellis Act prohibits local government from impeding a landlord's ability to exit the rental market or prevent a related eviction, the Ellis Act does not inhibit a municipality's land use powers. In that regard, CES strongly urges the Los Angeles City Council to use it's land use powers and adopt ordinances that:
- Limit the number of rent controlled buildings allowed to be demolished per year.
- Provide that the official date of withdrawal for a unit subjected to an Ellis withdrawal be the date the last evicted tenant vacates the building, either via eviction or by voluntary vacating after receiving Ellis notification.
- Require a one-for-one replacement of all rent controlled or affordable units that are demolished or converted at affordable rent levels.
- Develop incentives for developers to develop on vacant, commercial or city-owned parcels, while creating disincentives and obstacles for development projects that would result in demolishing or converting existing affordable housing.
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20 Ways to Fix Los Angeles
by Hillel Aron - Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Regarding the state Costa Hawkins Housing Act: "It essentially puts a bull's-eye target on every rent-control tenant in the city," says Larry Gross, who helped write L.A.'s rent-control law and who heads the
Coalition for Economic Survival.
Regarding the state Ellis Act: We're not going to address our affordable-housing crisis unless we preserve our existing affordable housing," Gross says. One change, he says, would be to limit landlords to one Ellis Act usage a year. Another would be to limit Ellis Act evictions to properties where the owner has owned the building for more than five years. "But really," he says, "the solution is to just get rid of the law."
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L.A. City Council Takes First Step to Make Evictions Harder
by Andrew Khouri - Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The City Council approved a proposal from LA City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo to study extending the just cause requirement to non-rent-controlled buildings, which usually have been constructed after 1978.
Data doesn't exist on how often that happens. But Larry Gross, executive director of the
Coalition for Economic Survival, said his organization is receiving more complaints about the practice, specifically in gentrifying neighborhoods such as Highland Park and Boyle Heights where wealthier residents are moving in and interest from investors has been high.
"Right now a tenant not protected with rent control can be evicted without any reason whatsoever and thrown out onto a rental market which they likely won't be able to afford," Gross said.
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You Officially Have to
Be
Rich to Rent in L.A.
by Dennis Romero - Wednesday, July 12, 2017
"Los Angeles renters are extremely burdened and are having a difficult time making ends meet," says Larry Gross, executive director for the group the Coalition for Economic Survival. "Because of rents people are forced to double up and triple up with roommates."
"There are not enough hours in the day for most people to earn enough money to afford an average apartment here," Gross says.
Click to Read Full Article
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Joint Center for Housing Studies
at Harvard University
The State of the
Nation's
Housing 2017
Coalition for Economic Survival
Executive Director Larry Gross responds to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies' annual State of the Nation's Housing report, which states that, among other things, more than 1/3 of American households lived in unaffordable housing, paying more than 30% of their incomes for rent. Gross called for government action and leadership to repeal the Costa Hawkins and the Ellis Acts and require developers to set aside affordable units in all new developments.
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Support the Coalition for Economic Survival's efforts to
* Secure tenants' rights
* Preserve existing affordable housing
* Prevent tenant displacement
Show you support for the work of CES by making a beginning of the year Tax Deductible -
Donation Now!
The economic justice victories that CES has won over the years such as rent control in the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood, creating the city of West Hollywood and winning numerous laws to combat slum housing, secure tenants' rights and preserve affordable housing ha
s only been possible with the generous financial support from people like you. 2017 is CES' 44th Anniversary year. Help make it another year of victories by
clicking here to donate now.
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(213) 252-4411 * [email protected]
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