1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: Hey, dear listener, it's Maria no Hossam. So today we're 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: going to bring you a story about people who live 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: together and how they organize together. This is from a 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: series called The Tenant Association, produced by Los Angeles Public Press. 5 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,319 Speaker 1: It tells the story of a group of neighbors, many 6 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: of them Latinos and Latinas, living in an apartment complex 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: in LA's Chinatown. It's called Hillside Villa. The series follows 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: these working class neighbors in their fight against their landlord, 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: who dramatically raises their rent in what looks like a 10 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: strategy to evict them. It's a fight that extended over 11 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: six long years. Here's the first episode of The Tenant Association. 12 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 2: We're in the courtyard of an apartment building on a 13 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 2: hill at the top of Chinatown. 14 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: We have one more thing we need to do. 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 3: Can we have every buddy who's gotten a three day 16 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:02,279 Speaker 3: notice come up? 17 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 2: The courtyard is full of people from all over LA. 18 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: People walk up to a small stone picnic table in 19 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 2: the middle of the crowd. They're young and old, Latino 20 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 2: and Chinese, and then one by one they light their 21 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 2: eviction notices on fire. 22 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: You may be wondering why We have a picture of 23 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: this guy over here. 24 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:28,279 Speaker 4: Why he has an. 25 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 5: Orange in front of him, and why there's a little 26 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 5: kettle here. Jenny's gonna let you know. 27 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 2: There's a red stool set up with a close up 28 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 2: photo of this man who looks like he's in pain. 29 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 2: It's like he's trying to smile but doesn't know how. 30 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 2: It looks more like a grimace. That's Tom Bots, the landlord. 31 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 2: The people burning their notices are his tenants. The tenants 32 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 2: have set up this whole little ceremony for Bots as 33 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 2: though he's dead, even though he's not. And to be clear, 34 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 2: the tenants aren't saying they want him dead. This is 35 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 2: a symbolic thing. 36 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 6: Here's Jenny explaining, in Chinese tradition, when people pass away, 37 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 6: we burn paper money, and since if Tom wants his money, 38 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 6: if Tom wants his money, he can have. 39 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 7: That's why. 40 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 2: It's funny, because usually you burn money to give it 41 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 2: to your ancestors in the afterlife, and the orange on 42 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 2: the stool is also for good fortune. So doing a 43 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 2: ceremony like this it's supposed to be an act of love. 44 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 2: So the tenants drop their burning eviction notices into a 45 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 2: red metal can basically saying, we're not afraid of you. 46 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 2: You can get our money in the afterlife. 47 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 4: But what's that we're playing now? 48 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 8: We're going to fight, fight, fight fight. 49 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 2: It feels like you have no, no, no power when 50 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: you're a tenant in LA. Doing anything that might piss 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 2: off your landlord feels really scary because they can just 52 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 2: decide to evict you for basically no reason. But this 53 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 2: group of tenants rejected that. They realized how much power 54 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 2: they had together. They weren't season activists or public figures. 55 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: They were just neighbors. But together they built a movement 56 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 2: that changed what we think is possible for tenants in LA. 57 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 2: They shined a light on a crisis affecting over a 58 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:34,239 Speaker 2: million tenants just like them all across the country. The 59 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 2: Hillside Bill Attendants have been fighting their landlord for six 60 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 2: years and they're not done. I'm here to tell you 61 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 2: about a landlord who raised the rents on his tenants 62 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 2: by hundreds, even thousands of dollars as soon as he 63 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: thought he could get away with it. I'm here to 64 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,839 Speaker 2: tell you about the progressive politicians who promised to help 65 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 2: the tenants but turn their on them instead. I'm here 66 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 2: to tell you about the Hillside Villa Tenant Association. Over 67 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 2: the next four episodes, I'm going to tell you how 68 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 2: the Hillside Villa tenants are organized to save their homes 69 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 2: and how they showed La what a powerful tenant movement 70 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 2: looks like. This is the Tenant Association The Story of 71 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 2: Hillside Villa, a Los Angeles Public Press podcast. I'm your host, 72 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 2: Phoenix Though, and this is episode one, a ticking time Bomb. 73 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 2: The first thing you hear when you walk up to 74 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:49,599 Speaker 2: Hillside Villa are little chirpy birds. I think they're parakeets. 75 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 2: They're on someone's balcony facing hill Place, in a couple 76 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 2: big cages. They're colorful and loud. And then if you 77 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 2: walk through the lobby and out towards the courtyard, you'll 78 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 2: probably hear this. The courtyard of Hillside Villa has been 79 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 2: a lot of things, a community garden, a gathering place, 80 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 2: a communal backyard, and for many years, a makeshift playground. 81 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 2: It was part of why Hillside Villa was such a 82 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 2: nice place to live for so many years, especially if 83 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 2: you're trying to raise a family there, like Monica. 84 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 9: Ruivez, Monica Luis. You'll think. 85 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 2: Hill Sevilla Monica has lived at Hillside Villa for twenty 86 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,159 Speaker 2: five years. She used to throw her kids' birthday parties 87 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 2: in the courtyard, even her daughter's king signeras they invite 88 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:48,159 Speaker 2: the neighbors. 89 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 9: Yes, also. 90 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 10: Coma de quince patio inmos Alos Besino's Jos Beni. 91 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 2: Everything was peaceful. We've spoken to a bunch of tenants 92 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:12,159 Speaker 2: who have similar stories about Hillside Villa in its early days. 93 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 2: Back then the building was new and clean and the 94 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 2: neighborhood was quiet. Because of the courtyard and the way 95 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 2: the building was built, Hillside Villa was ideal for families. 96 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 2: Annie Shaw, who organizes with the tenants, pointed that out 97 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 2: to me. 98 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 5: And you can see that even with the way it's designed, 99 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 5: you know. And if you see the architecture of the building, 100 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 5: the balconies face out word and in word in a courtyard, 101 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 5: and the balconies are social spaces, you know. There used 102 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 5: to be even playground toys and like I think, a 103 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 5: barbecue pit. 104 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:51,280 Speaker 2: These days it's hard to find an apartment that's big 105 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 2: enough for a family and that isn't expensive. But Hillside 106 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 2: Villa has a lot of these tenants have raised their 107 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 2: children and grandchildren in these apartments cared for their elderly parents. 108 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 2: Here they work as cleaners, construction workers, and food vendors. 109 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 2: Hillside Villa was built in nineteen eighty nine, when Chinatown 110 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 2: was mostly home to Latino and Asian immigrants, but the 111 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 2: neighborhood has changed a lot since then. New luxury apartments 112 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 2: have sprung up, and hip restaurants and galleries have moved 113 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 2: into empty storefronts or pushed out longtime businesses. Rents have skyrocketed, 114 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 2: and a lot of low income families have been forced 115 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 2: to leave. But it's different for Hillside Villa tenants. As 116 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 2: Chinatown became more and more expensive, their rents stayed relatively low, 117 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 2: which wasn't because their landlord was a good guy. It's 118 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 2: because he had to because the original owner built Hillside 119 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 2: Villa using public money. We'll explain more about that a 120 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 2: bit later in this episode. For now, what you need 121 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 2: to know is that for years the rent at Hillside 122 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 2: Villa was cheap until it wasn't. 123 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 9: This Hopefully you don't see me. 124 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 2: That's a good thing about audio. This is Mary Ramos. 125 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 2: She's lived at Hillside Villa for fifteen years. She lives 126 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 2: with her son in a two bedroom apartment. It was 127 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 2: really cold in the day. I met up with Mary 128 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 2: for an interview. We met in the courtyard and as 129 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 2: I set up the recording, she handed me some Filipino 130 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 2: and banadas wrapped in a napkin. 131 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 7: I'm here with Mary Ramos. 132 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 2: She made banadas so sweet. I don't know if you 133 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 2: can tell from the recording, but when I said that 134 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 2: into the mic that Mary had brought and banadas, she 135 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 2: smiled kind of sheepishly, like, Oh, it's no big deal, 136 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 2: like I'd put her in a spotlight. She wasn't expecting. 137 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 2: It was a small thing. But it kind of shows 138 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 2: what Mary's like. She's really warm and generous. Her instinct 139 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 2: is to feed people and make them feel welcome. Mary 140 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 2: isn't the type a person to take up a lot 141 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 2: of space. 142 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 8: I never I never, even when I was young, I 143 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 8: never speak. I'm quiet. That's the teaching of my mom. 144 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 8: And my mother said, you don't answer back to parents 145 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 8: or answer back to older people, and the most important 146 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 8: is respect respectful. So me, even I know my mom 147 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 8: is wrong, I just cry and go to my room. 148 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 8: That's it, because I cannot answer her back. 149 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 2: But there's another side to Mary that you might not 150 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 2: see right away quiet rage. 151 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,719 Speaker 8: My attitude is the more I'm mad, the more I 152 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:51,439 Speaker 8: don't talk. I will just keep quiet. That's why you 153 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 8: will get mad at me, because I'm not answering you back. 154 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,719 Speaker 8: I don't. I just look at you and just that's it. 155 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,479 Speaker 2: I don't think Mary ever expected to become an activist. 156 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 2: I don't think she ever expected to be making a 157 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 2: speech outside the mayor's house or physically blocking a city 158 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 2: official from driving away from a protest. But then Tom 159 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 2: Botts tried to raise her rent. This is what we 160 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 2: know about Tom Botts, the landlord of Hillside Villa. He's 161 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 2: in his late sixties and has previously worked as a lawyer. 162 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 2: He was married to a woman named Renee Norikoman. They 163 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 2: have three adult children, Peter, Nolan and Chloe. I've interviewed 164 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 2: Tom Botts twice over the past couple years. Once he 165 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 2: called me back while I was getting lunch. That time 166 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:43,319 Speaker 2: he was friendly, but it felt forced. 167 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 11: I'm all their favorite of the government subsidizing tenants who 168 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 11: legitimately need it. That's why we have all these Section 169 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 11: eight tenants. But what these tenants need to do is 170 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:58,959 Speaker 11: they need to mobilize to say to get. 171 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 4: Get that substance, get those subsidies. We are not their enemies. 172 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 4: The city needs to step up. 173 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 2: The next time we spoke, he wasn't so friendly. He 174 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 2: seemed mad at me for the previous article i'd written. 175 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 2: I had interviewed a Section eight tenant who said a 176 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 2: majority of Bots's tenants can't afford his rent increases. 177 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 4: All I can do is point out the irony that 178 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 4: the CD is determining that she can't pay. And then 179 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 4: she says, well, but I can't. I think she's not paying, 180 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 4: So I think that ship be pointed out. 181 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 2: That's kind of what Tom Botts is like in my experience. 182 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 2: It seems like in his mind, he's the victim. By 183 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:45,319 Speaker 2: the way, Tom Botts never responded to her repeated requests 184 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 2: for comment for this series. Anyway, if you look up 185 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 2: Thomas Botts and his various companies on the LA Superior 186 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 2: Court website, you'll find more than seventy eviction lawsuits that 187 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 2: he filed against his tenants. The evidence suggests that tom 188 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 2: Bo loves to file eviction lawsuits. Bots lives in a 189 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 2: mansion in Malibu, about thirty miles west of Hillside Villa, 190 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 2: and his former property manager Sonya Rodriguez used to go there. 191 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 7: She remembers the. 192 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 2: House being very big, two floors, a pool, a water fountain, 193 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 2: maybe a vienna. Sonya and her now ex husband managed 194 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 2: an apartment building that Bots owned in North Hollywood on 195 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:29,719 Speaker 2: the edge of the San Fernando Valley. Bots would have 196 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 2: Sonya drive all the way to Malibu to drop off 197 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 2: rent checks. Here's my colleague Martine Massius translating go. 198 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 12: There because she would have to leave cash from the 199 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 12: tenants from the rent or if it was paiding checks. 200 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 12: You know, they would leave the checks. They would say, 201 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 12: who hasn't paid. 202 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 2: Sonya mainly did cleaning jobs for Bots the North Hollywood property, 203 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 2: even though she worked for him and was driving to 204 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 2: his house all the time. Sonya said Bots barely ever 205 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,679 Speaker 2: spoke to her, except for sometimes he'd tell her she 206 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 2: did a good job cleaning the building. But Sonya also 207 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 2: stood up to Bots, like one day when Bots raised 208 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 2: rents on the North Hollywood tenants by seventy five dollars 209 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 2: instead of the usual twenty. 210 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 9: Five does. 211 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 13: Loss personas local persona. 212 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 11: Para. 213 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 2: Sonya worked for Bots, but she had a lot more 214 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:37,839 Speaker 2: in common with the tenants of the building than she 215 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 2: did with him, she felt loyal to them. At the time. 216 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 2: Sonya also worked a night shift for a cleaning company. 217 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 2: She knew the tenants of the building had similar jobs 218 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 2: and that some were earning even less than she was. 219 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 2: She knew they couldn't afford the increase. 220 00:13:54,440 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 13: Pisa and Lance Yosa persona ra Mucco a ton said 221 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 13: persons persona. 222 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 2: The so Sonya told Bots she wouldn't hand out those notices. 223 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 2: She just couldn't. 224 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 7: Yes, Tarvej, here's Martine again translating, so you know. 225 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 12: That day where you know she confronted him. She said, like, 226 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 12: you know, I'm not gonna agree to giving this rent 227 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 12: increase out to people because you know, I have reason 228 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 12: to think that this is not right. But he said, 229 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 12: this is your job, like you have to do it. 230 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 2: Six months later, Bot sold the building. Sonya thinks this 231 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 2: was already in the works when he raised everyone's rent. 232 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 13: It's gone, is como ke non import lcentimiento de la persona. 233 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 2: Sonya's seen how Bots treats people over the years. She says, 234 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 2: it's like he doesn't know how to be grateful for 235 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 2: what he has. When Bots sold the North Hollywood apartment building, 236 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 2: Sonya suddenly had to look for new housing, and she 237 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 2: found it a two bedroom apartment at Hillside Villa. She 238 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 2: was safe for almost a decade. And then remember how 239 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 2: rents at Hillside Villa stayed low while the rest of 240 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 2: Chinatown gentrified. That was because when the original landlord constructed 241 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 2: the building, he signed a contract or covenant, agreeing to 242 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 2: keep rents low for the next thirty years because the 243 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 2: city gave him money to help build Hillside Villa. Lots 244 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 2: of cities signed deals like this with developers around this time. 245 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 2: It was the eighties and Reagan had decided that public 246 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 2: housing was bad and that the government shouldn't invest in 247 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 2: it anymore. So they came up with a very eighties idea, 248 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 2: give money to landlords to build affordable housing. They wanted 249 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 2: the market to take care of it. But thirty years 250 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 2: goes by fast, and by the way, we found that 251 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 2: there are close to a million apartments like this across 252 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 2: the country. We're going to get way more into that 253 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 2: in episode three. But this is a national crisis because 254 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 2: of course, as soon as these covenants expire, landlords are 255 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 2: trying to raise people's rents by as much as they 256 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,040 Speaker 2: possibly can, which is how the system was designed to work. 257 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 2: Tom Boss was doing exactly what he was incentivized and 258 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 2: legally empowered to do, raising people's rents by over one 259 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 2: hundred percent, basically overnight. This is the problem with the 260 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 2: market providing affordable housing is that the market doesn't actually 261 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 2: want to provide affordable housing. The market wants housing to 262 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,320 Speaker 2: make as much money as it possibly can. So what 263 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 2: Sonya and our neighbors didn't know is that there are 264 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 2: four rents were only temporary. The covenant protecting them would 265 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 2: one day expire. It was a taking time bomb. And 266 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 2: in twenty eighteen that bomb went off. Can you tell me, like, 267 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 2: what was it like, you know, getting informed of this 268 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 2: like covenant expiring and the rent increase. 269 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 8: Oh yeah, because the manager, the owner sent us a letter. 270 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 2: At first Mary said she got a letter that our 271 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:39,879 Speaker 2: apartment wasn't low income anymore. And then she got another letter, but. 272 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 8: He didn't say how many percent, so usually we know 273 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 8: the percent is like five percent, likefty dollars or twenty dollars, 274 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 8: so we were not worried about it. And then he 275 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 8: sent another letter, and then the third letter was the 276 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:01,920 Speaker 8: amount was there, which is at that time I was 277 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 8: already paying one thousand and four for the two bedrooms, 278 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 8: so he wants the rent to be two thousand, six 279 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 8: hundred and fifty. Oh God, so we are like, am 280 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 8: I paying two thousand, six hundred and fifty for a 281 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 8: two bedroom which is an old building and there's no amenities. 282 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 2: Mary later found the rent increased notice and sent it 283 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 2: to us. It was actually two thousand, four hundred and fifty, 284 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,879 Speaker 2: not two thousand, six hundred and fifty, but still a 285 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 2: ton of money. Monica Luiz remembers a paper notice attached 286 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,879 Speaker 2: to her door. Monica is a tenant who threw her 287 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 2: daughter's kinsens in the courtyard, and when she got that 288 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 2: rent increased notice, her first thought was her kids and 289 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 2: what would happen to them if they had to move. 290 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,160 Speaker 9: So, you see. 291 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 10: Missijs vuela meaninga sai messia. I know you Knowue castellar Us, 292 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:22,399 Speaker 10: Brendo mandarins a king Mandarin, Yes, Brenda josa pena la 293 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 10: mas pegna. 294 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 2: Anica didn't know where she'd go, especially with children who 295 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 2: are still in school. Her fifteen year old daughter was distraught. 296 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,960 Speaker 2: She'd been taking Mandarin classes at Castellar Elementary in the 297 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,639 Speaker 2: neighborhood since kindergarten. She didn't want to leave because she 298 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:38,639 Speaker 2: was afraid she'd have to. 299 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 9: Stop mesia no no, no, pero pero si fu momento. 300 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 2: Monica reassured her daughter that they weren't going to have 301 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 2: to move, but she didn't know if that was true. 302 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 2: When the tenants of Hillside Villa talk about this day, 303 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 2: I always think about how isolating it feels to get 304 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,639 Speaker 2: that kind of letter on your door. I once got 305 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:13,399 Speaker 2: a sixty day notice and remember feeling so ashamed, like 306 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 2: how could I have let this happen? And where am 307 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:19,159 Speaker 2: I supposed to live now? Even though as a housing 308 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 2: reporter I know that getting that kind of notice is 309 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 2: one of the most universal experiences in Los Angeles. 310 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 9: Soon after the. 311 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 2: Notices went out, Bots started pressuring the tenants to leave. 312 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 2: The pressure came from Madardo via Toro, the property manager, 313 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 2: and Chloe Bot's Tom's daughter. They came to the tenants 314 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,440 Speaker 2: stores with cash for keys, offers money in exchange for 315 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 2: the tenants voluntarily moving out. By the way, we also 316 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 2: reached out to Madardo and Chloe for comment on the 317 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 2: cash for keys process, and neither got back to us 318 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 2: on that point. Anyway, these kinds of offers are often 319 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 2: tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes as my which is 320 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,680 Speaker 2: one hundred thousand dollars, because it's so lucrative for the 321 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,719 Speaker 2: landlords to get rid of low income tenants and replace 322 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 2: them with people who can pay market rate. But Bots 323 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 2: offered his tenants just around five thousand dollars to leave, 324 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,400 Speaker 2: and they say, you put a clock on it. Tenants 325 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 2: say they were told that the cash amounts would decrease 326 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 2: by one thousand dollars for each month they continued to stay. 327 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 2: Thousands of tenants across LA are targeted by similar rent increases, 328 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,680 Speaker 2: faced with landlords who look at their homes with nothing 329 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 2: but dollar signs in their eyes and harrassed tenants into leaving. 330 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,800 Speaker 2: And it's easy to do because the power is on 331 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 2: the landlord's side. There are a low to squeeze as 332 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:43,959 Speaker 2: much money as they can from their tenants. Housing them 333 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 2: is beside the point. 334 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 8: Like either welieve or restay. 335 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,199 Speaker 2: Once Mary realized how much her rent would go up, 336 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 2: she felt like she had no choice but to move out. 337 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 8: Because I was planning to leave already because I don't 338 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 8: like to be here because the rent is too high. 339 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 8: I cannot avoid that yeah, and it's my son who's paying. 340 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:15,680 Speaker 9: You spend some neo some star look save and susechus. 341 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 2: Monica says, Bats and the others were like, these tenants 342 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 2: are poor, they don't know their rights. They'll just accept whatever. 343 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 3: She said. 344 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 2: They figured they could just scare people out of their homes. 345 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 10: Stan inrentees no saving jeose o keosi. 346 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 9: Yes, moi diferente in porto quarto. 347 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 2: Luperomero is another long time tenant of Hillside Villa. Everyone 348 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 2: calls her Lupita. She runs a food truck called Lupita's 349 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 2: hot Dogs. She has a similar memory of that. 350 00:22:53,760 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 14: Time almanni la yea re are cossa. 351 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 3: Lo benziero, Oh no, yeah, what is. 352 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 2: Being Lupito said that Madaro and the others would aggressively 353 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 2: push the cash for keys offers, saying they had to 354 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 2: accept them. Some tenants left. Lupita says they must have 355 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 2: felt defeated, but not everyone did. And this is the 356 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 2: moment where the story of the Hillside Villa tenants really begins, 357 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 2: because this is when they decided to fight. On the 358 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 2: next episode, how the tenants of Hillside Villa organized to 359 00:23:57,680 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 2: save their home. 360 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,440 Speaker 8: You know what you got Now the whole world has 361 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 8: to know what kind of asshole we have in the building. 362 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 2: That's next time on the Tenant Association. The Tenant Association 363 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 2: is hosted and recorded by me Phoenixell. Carla Green is 364 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:27,679 Speaker 2: our editor and executive producer. Translation, production and additional reporting 365 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 2: from Martine Macias Junior. Our fact checker is Marina Penya. 366 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 2: Sound engineering by Philip Kimp, Legal review by Professor Susan E. 367 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 2: Seger and the uc Irvine Press Freedom Project. Art direction 368 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 2: and illustrations by Alison Yet Our theme song is by 369 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:48,360 Speaker 2: Eduardo Arenas. Editing help and other support from our publisher 370 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 2: Matthew Tinoko and our audience director Maria Castanetta. Thanks to 371 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,920 Speaker 2: the rest of the LAPP staff Engagement reporter Amanda Delsa, 372 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:01,639 Speaker 2: Luco reporters Ashley Rona and Elizabe joe An, Engagement editor 373 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,920 Speaker 2: Brolli Dave Special thanks to Gabe Schneider, Nolan Downs, and 374 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 2: all the tenants and organizers who spoke to us for 375 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 2: this series. And to Boyle Heidspeed, where we recorded this podcast. 376 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening. We'll be back next week.