LOS ANGELES - I am 68 years old. I am a grandmother. I am homeless.

I never anticipated that, at this point in my life, I would be living in a hotel and placed on a waitlist, hoping for an affordable apartment to open up so I can finally have a safe and permanent place to call home.

Seniors are the fastest growing demographic of Californians becoming homeless, according to a study released last year by UC San Francisco’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. I am also part of the 80% of homeless seniors who had housing before becoming homeless, whether that was due to loss of income, conflicts with a landlord or California’s high housing costs.

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles City committee Thursday approved permanent program guidelines for homeless prevention and affordable housing under Measure ULA, a real-estate transfer tax.

The United to House LA Citizen Oversight Committee unanimously voted in favor of the permanent guidelines, which will now be forwarded to City Council and Mayor Karen Bass for further consideration.

"Los Angeles' housing crisis hurts all of us, and it requires us to work harder and look farther ahead than we have so far," Laura Raymond, a member of the committee, said in a statement. "Experts say that the commodification of housing drives homelessness in Los Angeles, and the ULA blueprint is an alternative to that, built on proven approaches, and ready to put into practice today."

During public comment more than 25 people spoke in support of the guidelines. Several of these individuals are members of various organizations such as the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, the United to House LA coalition, LA/OC Building Trades union, SEIU 2015 and the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, who also held a rally prior to the meeting.

LOS ANGELES, CA - 1932. 1984. 2028.

These are the years that Los Angeles hosted – or will host – the Summer Olympic Games.

Love it, hate it or still deciding, there’s no denying that the Olympics is a part of L.A.’s history and DNA.

Now, as some look ahead to the next four years and L.A.’s plans for hosting the Olympics a third time, it’s also worth taking a look back at the city’s storied relationship with the Games – and some of the lasting impacts that came from hosting the world’s biggest sporting event.

Some residents continue to express hesitation about hosting Olympic competitions in the Valley in 2028. And there are those who oppose L.A. hosting the Olympics at all.

At least two grassroots groups, NOlympics LA and the L.A. chapter of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) are concerned that the 2028 Games could result in the forced roundup of homeless people as the city tries to clean up its streets, knowing that L.A. will be under a global microscope.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As county leaders are looking to crack down on private equity firms buying up properties, a new report released on Thursday is shedding light on one corporate landlord that may have contributed to higher housing costs in San Diego.

The analysis, which was released by tenant advocacy groups Private Equity Stakeholder Project and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, zooms in on Blackstone Inc., an investment firm who acquired nearly 6,000 local rental units across San Diego County in 2021.

Using real estate data, it found the corporation hiked rent prices of the units it owns in San Diego by an average of 38%, or $600, since its acquisition of the buildings — nearly double the 20% median rent increase for apartments in the county during the same period.

For some Blackstone-owned buildings, including several located in historically low-income areas like San Ysidro and National City, these rent increases neared upwards of 80% over a three-year period, according to the report.

Rents are down slightly from this point last year, according to Rent.com, but that doesn't mean they're affordable.

Average rent for a studio apartment in San Diego is more than $2,300. For a two bedroom the average raises to $3,700.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is trying to tackle the issue with a new initiative looking at the impact private equity is having on housing costs.

The board approved a series of actions at a meeting July 16. The county wants to know exactly how many condos, townhouses and single-family homes are owned by commercial entities and in what part of the county they're in.

It also looks at whether there's a legal remedy — litigation — to pursue against corporate landlords in response to allegations of price-fixing, price-gouging and tenant harassment.

Private equity firm Blackstone is the target of much of this critique. The firm acquired about 5,600 local rental units in 2021 and, according to tenant union the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, has raised rents significantly since.

ANTIOCH, California - On my way to Antioch for a Juneteenth celebration, I unexpectedly ran into my oldest sister, who was sitting in the same Amtrak car. She was headed to the Bay Area from Fresno to celebrate the holiday with her grandchildren, and while chatting, I began singing happy birthday to her. Soon, other travelers joyfully joined in to sing for her. 

These are the unique experiences that I’ve been able to have as a Black elder when I take the Amtrak train to and from the Pittsburg/Antioch Amtrak station. I know when I hop on the train, I can regularly run into family, friends and community members as they make their way to work, school or back home to their families.

Unfortunately, this kind of freedom is under threat, and tens of thousands are set to lose accessibility to this vital service.

LOS ANGELES, California - In an effort to stem the flow of people falling into homelessness, tenants who live in Los Angeles County’s unincorporated communities will get free legal representation to fight evictions — part of an ordinance approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 16.

In a unanimous vote, the board deemed it a right for residents facing evictions to be given legal representation, and that help will be dependent on income levels. The supervisors see the action as codifying another tool for battling homelessness by preventing more people from losing their homes and facing survival on the streets.

“We’ve heard from experts that people are falling into homelessness faster than we can get people off the streets and into housing,” said Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn. She said the program will level the playing field and give renters a better chance to stay housed. “Many cannot afford legal representation and their landlords often can.”