The Los Angeles Tenants Union demands:
FREEZE THE RENT!
Los Angeles City Council is planning to allow landlords to raise the rent 7-9% in all RSO apartments — two thirds of the apartments in the entire city!
278,000 households in Los Angeles are behind on rent. Eviction filings in LA County have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with more than 4,000 per month. Homelessness in Los Angeles has increased by 9% in the past year.
Does this seem like a good time to raise the rent?
For the past three years, rent increases in buildings protected by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance have been illegal. If you live in an RSO-protected building, you shouldn’t have gotten an increase since before the pandemic. But since the city has declared that the emergency period is over, they plan to allow landlords to raise the rent again — this time between 7 and 9% — starting February 1, 2024.
THE RENT IS ALREADY TOO DAMN HIGH.
Tenants across Los Angeles, especially poor and working-class tenants, cannot afford a rent increase.
If L.A. City Council doesn’t act to prevent the rent increase, tens of thousands more tenants who are barely holding on will become unable to pay the rent and will face eviction and homelessness.
Our task between now and February 1 is to mount a campaign across the city to force City Council to prevent the rent hike. Below is a step-by-step guide to get involved in the citywide fight to prevent the rent increase. Share it with your family, your friends, and your neighbors.
STEP 1:
JOIN the Los Angeles Tenants Union
We are tenants organized into local chapters and tenants associations across the city. From our eight years of fighting evictions, rent increases, and landlord harassment with direct action, rent strikes, and media campaigns, we know there is strength in collective action.
Click JOIN LATU or go to join.latenantsunion.org to sign up as a dues-paying member.
STEP 2:
SEND THE LATU LETTER DEMANDING NO RENT HIKES TO YOUR CITY COUNCILMEMBER
EMAIL ADDRESSES:
CD 1: Eunisses Hernandez, Councilmember.Hernandez@lacity.org
CD 2: Paul Krekorian, Councilmember.Krekorian@lacity.org
CD 3: Bob Blumenfield, Councilmember.Blumenfield@lacity.org
CD 4: Nithya Raman, contactCD4@lacity.org
CD 5: Katy Yaroslavsky, Councilmember.Yaroslavsky@lacity.org
CD 6: Imelda Padilla, Councilmember.Padilla@lacity.org
CD 7: Monica Rodriguez, Councilmember.Rodriguez@lacity.org
CD 8: Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Councilmember.Harris-Dawson@lacity.org
CD 9: Curren Price, Jr., Councilmember.Price@lacity.org
CD 10: Heather Hutt, cd10@lacity.org
CD 11: Traci Park, Councilmember.Park@lacity.org
CD 12: John Lee, Councilmember.Lee@lacity.org
CD 13: Hugo Soto-Martinez, Councilmember.Soto-Martinez@lacity.org
CD 14: Kevin de León, Councilmember.kevindeleon@lacity.org
CD 15: Tim McOsker, Councilmember.McOsker@lacity.org
STEP 3:
SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN UPDATES
STEP 4:
SPREAD THE WORD
MAKE A SIGN FOR YOUR WINDOW OR A BANNER FOR YOUR BUILDING.
SHARE THE RENT FREEZE IMAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
TAG @LATENANTS on IG or @LATENANTSUNION on Twitter.
To put more pressure on City Councilmembers, we need to tell as many people as possible about their plan to raise the rent and get as many people involved as possible in the campaign to stop it. Tell your friends and neighbors why you can’t afford this rent hike and ask them to get involved.
Are there other skills you can bring to this fight?
Can you make announcements at other events and meetings you go to?
Can you make a short video on YouTube or TikTok?
Can you drop these flyers under your neighbors’ doors?
Can you put these flyers up around your neighborhood?
STEP 5:
COME TO A RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN EVENT.
We are holding a series of events over the next few months as we increase pressure on city councilmembers to prevent the rent hike. Contact your local chapter of LATU to do regular neighborhood outreach, and SAVE THE DATE for SUNDAY DECEMBER 3 for our mass march in protest of the impending rent increase.
FAQ:
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Use zimas.lacity.org (watch this video to learn where exactly to look). More information is available on the LA Housing Department website here.
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Each year, according to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (a law of the City of LA), the amount that landlords are allowed to raise the rent in RSO-protected units is between 3 and 8%. The specific amount each year is based on the Consumer Price Index (a measure of inflation). For the past 30 years, the allowed rent increase for each year has usually been 3 or 4%. Since inflation has been high, the amount that is planned to be allowed as of February 1, 2024 is 7% . An additional 1% for gas and 1% for electric service can be added if the landlord provides the service to the tenant. So if electric and gas are included in your rent amount, the landlord can raise the rent 9%. But the law says this increase will be allowed UNLESS AMENDED BY CITY COUNCIL — so that’s what we’re pressuring them to do!
Links with more information:
Allowable Rent Increase Bulletin
2023 Renter Protections from LAHD
FURTHER RESOURCES
TENANT POWER TOOLKIT
If you receive eviction papers from the landlord (a Summons & Complaint / Unlawful Detainer), the Tenant Power Toolkit can help you prepare an Answer. If you need help, there are workshops every Tuesday at the Los Angeles Central Library downtown.
CALENDAR OF ALL LATU MEETINGS
Our local chapter meetings & other special events. If you have a question about your housing situation, or if you want to join the movement, come to a meeting!