Topline:
Hillside Villa tenants say LA Housing Department’s general manger should move faster to purchase their building and keep rents affordable — or lose her job. They say several Section 8 tenants were recently served with eviction notices.
Why it matters:
Hillside Villa tenants have advocated for the city to purchase their building for several years, after an agreement to keep rents affordable expired a few years ago. Tenants say their rents have increased by as much as 300 percent. They want the city to buy the building and keep rents low.
Why now:
In May last year, the L.A. City Council authorized the housing department to begin the process of purchasing Hillside Villa which requires an appraisal of the property. But tenants say the appraisal has not been done. In late February, building owner Tom Botz served five Section 8 tenants with eviction notices.
In a statement to LAist, Botz claims these tenants “have not paid rent in going on three years now.”
Rosasela Mora has lived at Hillside Villa for 13 years and is one of the renters who was served with a notice. She says she has been struggling to keep up with the rent for the last year.
“We’re barely trying to catch up, and we get served with these notices,” she said.
Tenants and their supporters are afraid that they could become homeless once COVID eviction protections end after March 31.
What’s next:
In a statement, the L.A. Housing Department says it has been unable to get the owner’s consent to access Hillside Villa for an appraisal, and is seeking a court order to gain that access. Owner Tom Botz has confirmed his refusal to LAist. But residents want LA Housing Department General Manager Ann Sewill to move faster, or lose her job.
“We want actions,” Mora said. “And she…
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