Letters to the Editor: Landlords sparked L.A.’s overcrowding crisis. They got an assist from leaders in government.
I’m shocked that so many government figures have been so quiet on the ongoing mass eviction of families and young people from their homes and businesses. It seems that they have conveniently avoided speaking out on the eviction crisis by the “rent control” law, which is yet another example of the government’s failure to protect and serve its constituents’ needs.
Last Tuesday, I witnessed the eviction scene firsthand for the second time. I was with my three children and several friends, who were all taken away from their homes in the South-Central area by the landlord. This was happening at the end of March.
We were all taken into a room with only two desks. The people upstairs were not allowed to talk or move, just to sit there in silence. I asked the landlord and his secretary if there was anywhere nearby I could stay. They refused. The landlord took us to an office a block away. There were only two desks. The landlord told us that if we didn’t leave the apartment, he would call the police, who were standing outside in the parking lot. That didn’t stop them.
The next day, we received two court-ordered eviction notices. One from the landlord and one from the district attorney, both for different reasons.
The landlord, who lives in Pacoima, has been arrested more than a dozen times and has been ordered to pay fines.
The district attorney, who lives in Alhambra, has been arrested and ordered to pay fines.
These stories are all too common in Los Angeles County. But, unfortunately, some people don’t care. They don’t care that they have a serious housing crisis in their communities or that they are running illegal hotels, and their government does nothing to stop them.
That is why I believe that the only solution is for everyone — landlords, the city, the state and federal government — to do what they can to help people get back into their homes.
I would prefer the city or state to set up some kind of program to help people with no money or no power. I would prefer to see them do that because landlords should not be allowed to take advantage of people in