SAN DIEGO, CA - The largest landlord in the United States resumed evictions in 2022 after years of upholding a self-imposed eviction ban, and in at least one city that means resetting rents with huge increases, a new report says. And now, tenants in buildings owned by investment firm Blackstone are organizing to do something about it. 

Krystal breaks down how large financial players like Blackstone are hoarding American housing and pricing out millions of Americans.

SAN DIEGO, CA - Demonstrators gathered in Imperial Beach to stand in solidarity with mother of two Patricia Mendoza, who faces the prospect of losing her home.

Mendoza has lived in the house on Holly Avenue since 2017 and says she always pays her rent on time. She recently received a 60-day notice to vacate so the property can be remodeled.

But the single mom believes it’s because she pays less than her new neighbors, who live in adjacent properties that are owned by the same landlord.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Irma Cervantes could barely afford the $750 monthly rent for the converted garage apartment she lives in with her children in East Los Angeles when she worked full time at a laundromat.

When the pandemic shut down non-essential businesses, Cervantes was out of a job. Then she got sick with long COVID-19.

Now she owes 10 months rent, she said, and is trying to pay it down. Her three children, ages 19 to 23, are helping by working part-time jobs.

Her landlord has increased demands for payment and wants her out, Cervantes said. And on March 31, L.A. County’s tenant eviction protections are set to expire.

“I’m left thinking, what will happen when there aren’t any protections,” Cervantes said. “What will I do with my kids? We can’t pay $1,600 rent.”

LOS ANGELES, CA - Irma Cervantes apenas podía pagar el alquiler mensual de $750 del apartamento convertido en garaje en el que vive con sus hijos en el este de Los Ángeles cuando trabajaba a tiempo completo en una lavandería.

Cuando la pandemia cerró negocios no esenciales, Cervantes se quedó sin trabajo. Luego se enfermó de COVID-19 por largo tiempo. 

Ahora debe 10 meses de renta, dijo, y está tratando de pagarla. Sus tres hijos, de 19 a 23 años, están ayudando con trabajos de medio tiempo. 

Su arrendador ha aumentado las demandas de pago y quiere que se vaya, dijo Cervantes. Y el 31 de marzo, las protecciones de desalojo para inquilinos del condado de Los Ángeles expirarán. 

“Me quedo pensando qué pasará cuando no haya protección”, dijo Cervantes. “¿Qué voy a hacer con mis hijos? No podemos pagar $1,600 de renta”.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Following weeks of uncharacteristically gloomy days, the weather broke late in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 15, seemingly in preparation for the 4:30 PM Unite for Los Angeles Schools rally in Grand Park outside City Hall. The gathered crowd buzzed with excitement and righteous indignation. Drums and horns sounded, signs and t-shirts were given out and street vendors peddled everything from cotton candy to tacos, making the event feel more like a music festival than a rally.

Our headliners? Leaders from two of the largest unions in Los Angeles County.

Is having a roof over your head a basic human right?

Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, thinks so, and has proposed an amendment to the state constitution to do just that, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Should the state guarantee a right to housing for all Californians?

A coalition of anti-poverty advocates led by Matt Haney, a Democratic state assemblymember from San Francisco, is proposing an amendment to the state constitution that seeks to do just that.