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Sally A. Juarez has lived in a rent-stabilized unit on Tolland Way in Eagle Rock for 49 years. It is one of several buildings that could be demolished to make way for a 141-unit affordable housing complex.
More than 40 neighbors will lose their current homes, including Juarez, who is retired from LAUSD, one of her daughters, an elderly care worker and at least two cancer survivors.
“I worked hard, so I didn’t want to retire with a lot of money just to feel comfortable and secure,” the 71-year-old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother explained.
A spokesperson for JZA Architecture told NBC4 they could not comment on the status of the project.
Los Angeles City Council member Eunice Hernandez, who represents Juarez’s community, says the situation is an unintended consequence of the city’s efforts to build much-needed housing.
“What’s happening here is building the missing middle at the expense of the most vulnerable tenants,” she added.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed Executive Order 1 in 2022 to help streamline and accelerate affordable housing development in Los Angeles.
“With this new executive order, I imagine we will see more incidents like this across the city of Los Angeles because we need to continue building quickly,” Hernandez said.
In response to this situation, Hernandez is now pushing for a new ordinance in the district, calling for the creation of additional reviews for rent-stabilized units, or RSOs, including smaller buildings, before any changes occur. are.
“My ordinance requires a certain number of RSO units that cannot be demolished to build affordable housing,” she said.
According to the Los Angeles Housing Authority, there are a total of 51,531 RSOs in Council District 1, which covers the area from Highland Park to Chinatown. There are approximately 661,231 RSOs throughout the city.
The Mayor’s Office recently revised the executive order to implement some thresholds for projects and restrictions on locations with 12 or more rent-stabilized units.
Hernandez explains that these new changes are not retroactive, so they won’t help Tolland Way tenants.
“Therefore, if this situation arises, we will need to make additional changes, such as increasing rental assistance transfer costs,” Hernandez added.
The mayor’s office told NBC4 in a statement:
“Since enactment, the Mayor has taken steps to install new guardrails in ED 1 with increased protections for tenants. Mayor Bass is committed to keeping Angelenos housed as we increase housing construction. Homelessness has fallen for the first time in years, with record numbers of people receiving tenant protection assistance to keep them housed. ”
The mayor’s office added that throughout the program, more than 40 100% affordable housing units are being built for every rent stabilization unit affected.
The mayor’s office also explains that eligible tenants will be offered the opportunity to live in the new building if they choose, and that in accordance with state and local laws, tenants will receive relocation grants of up to $24,650 per household. . The exact amount depends on the characteristics of each household and the rental agreement.
Juarez believes she won’t be able to cover the costs of moving and rent because it will be far more expensive than what she is currently paying.
“We are hard workers and all we want is to live comfortably. And yet you are trying to uproot us from where we live. Where should we live?” she said. said.
The residents vow to continue fighting to remain in their homes.
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