Jacob Woocher is a tenant lawyer in Los Angeles. He organizes with the Los Angeles Tenants Union (LATU) and occasionally tweets at @jacobwooch.
Foxes Guarding the Henhouse: Rancho San Pedro and Its Suitors
Thirty years of war have paid off for the eager boosters of San Pedro.
‘To Really Strike Gold’
Under the sophisticated and savvy leadership of new HACLA head Doug Guthrie, the city has finally been able to put Jordan Downs at the service of more profitable objectives.
Jordan Downs, We Meet Again
The crown jewel of Watts’ “revitalization” would not be easily forgotten by the city’s major players.
The Sacking of Dana Strand
In the early 2000s, the city’s war continued with the mass removal of families from the Dana Strand public housing complex in Wilmington.
Razing the Barrio
Using every weapon at its disposal to wage war during the second phase of redevelopment at Pico-Aliso, the Housing Authority essentially achieved a total victory — until the blowback hit over a decade later.
Pico-Aliso: We Shall Not Be Moved
How the tenants at Pico-Aliso, the largest public housing complex west of the Mississippi, fought the Housing Authority to a draw.
No Gangs, No Blight, No Normont Terrace
Down in Harbor City, privatizers conquered their first victim and made out like bandits.
Jordan Downs: A False Start for the Privatizers
In 1989, the city proposed selling off Jordan Downs to a private developer. But organized tenants defeated the plan just as suddenly as it had been introduced.
LA’s War on Public Housing: An Introduction
A first attempt at telling the story of the era of demolition and privatization.
LA’s War on Public Housing: The Era of Demolition and Privatization
Starting in the late 1980s, the City of Los Angeles declared a full-scale war on public housing that continues to this day.
Mayor Garcetti’s Legacy for LA? Billions in Corporate Tax Cuts.
Billions of dollars have been transferred from the people of LA to its corporations and ruling class in the past two decades, and one person is more responsible than anyone else: outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Union De Vecinos: 25 Years of Impact on LA’s Tenants Movement
If there were a single organization without which LA’s tenants movement would not be the same, it would likely be Union de Vecinos.
Tom and Chloe Botz Serve Eviction Notices After Two Deaths At Hillside Villa
Even as tenants die of COVID-19 or related illnesses, the harassment continues from management. But so does the struggle by the tenants.
We Must Demand Better Than Privatized “Affordable Housing”
Let’s fight for programs that actually house the most vulnerable tenants, challenge capitalism, and build a new world.
Los Angeles Can Easily Afford to Purchase the Hillside Villa Apartments
History shows there’s always money for police and luxury development. Will the city now cry poverty instead of keeping families housed?
Tenant Groups Warn Board of Supervisors: Cancel Rent, or Else
The Cancel Rent Collective is done playing nice.
Understanding California’s (Totally Inadequate) Eviction Protections: How 186,000 Children May Soon Become Homeless In Los Angeles
A look at how California’s current tenant protections will actually work, or fail, in practice.
Tom Botz Serves Illegal Rent Increases to Dozens of Tenants at the Hillside Villa Apartments
But The Hillside Villa Tenants Association has sprung into action and is fighting back.
LA Councilmember Paul Koretz is Upholding White Supremacy
My City Council representative needs to be called on his actions.
We Held a ‘Die-In’ at Mayor Garcetti’s Mansion, Two Days Later They Put Up Barricades
Rather than address our concerns, Mayor Garcetti would prefer to curtail our right to protest about unhoused people dying on the streets.
There Are More Vacant Publicly-Funded Hotel Rooms In Downtown LA Than Unhoused People On Skid Row
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Garcetti is refusing to use his power to commandeer hotels and get people indoors during a deadly pandemic.
An Eviction Moratorium Is Not Enough — Rent Must Be Suspended
What will people do when they’re expected to pay back rent after the crisis is over? Groups across the country demand an end to rent.
How Tom Botz Double-Dips In Public Dollars And Extracts Maximum Profits From the Low-Income Families Of Hillside Villa
The Hillside Villa Apartments were constructed for the public good. Now, they’re a cash register for Tom Botz.
LA Tenants Union Puts Repealing The Ellis Act On The Table
They’ve gotten commitments from Senator Maria Elena Durazo and Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo — but from the latter only in private.
“It’s outlandish” — UCLA Lewis Center Legitimizes Anti-Homeless Politics With Their Latest Hire
Shane Phillips served LA elites and their efforts to criminalize unhoused people as Policy Director at the Central City Association.
“There are no sweeps” — the new line from Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office
Tired of trying to justify the city’s inhumane sweeps of unhoused residents, Mitch O’Farrell’s office focuses on proper word choice.
LA Tenants Union Calls Out Housing Department For Allowing Illegal Ellis Act Evictions
Activists had a simple message for the city agency charged with protecting tenants: “stop siding with landlords, and do your job.”
Of Course Republicans Are YIMBYs
It’s not at all surprising to see the Party of Trump increasingly embrace the “Yes In My BackYard” label
This Map Shows How LA Politicians Have Created A City For The Rich
Our politicians have handed over staggering amounts of public money and land for luxury development. The rich win, and the poor lose.
Tenants In LA’s Chinatown Are Demanding The City Use Eminent Domain To Buy Their Building
”We believe the City of Los Angeles can and should use eminent domain to purchase the building and ensure it remains affordable.”
Tom Botz And His Daughter Chloe Have A Cruel History Of Anti-Children Management
Tenants at Botz’s buildings have been threatened with eviction for their kids playing outside — and there’s an entire court case about it.
As LA’s Chinatown Gentrifies, Hundreds Of Tenants At The Hillside Villa Apartments Face Eviction
Chinatown is being cleansed of Latinx and Chinese tenants. But they’re fighting back.
Gavin Newsom’s Housing Plan Ain’t Shit
The political ground seems to be shifting left. But when it comes to housing, we remain stuck in the free-market Reagan Era.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti Endorsed One Of The Most Anti-Immigrant Sheriffs in California
A Mayor who is a “forceful immigrant rights advocate” would spend his time fighting Jim McDonnell. Instead, Garcetti endorsed him.
LATU Rent Strikes And The Geography Of Extraction In LA’s Housing Market
We must understand that the housing crisis is not quite a crisis for everyone — for some, it’s extremely profitable.
DSA Takes Tenants’ Fight To Mitch O’Farrell
It’s all fun and games until the socialists show up at your front door.
The Pacific Palisades turns against slumlord Lisa Ehrlich
“I think it’s terrible. When you [Lisa] already have such an extraordinary level of wealth, and you’re evicting little kids. It’s just terrible.” — Lena Bernstein, lifelong Pacific Palisades resident.
In California’s Gentrification Debates, White Men from Liberal Media Silence People of Color
The gentrification conversation is privileging the wrong voices.
The Biggest Rent Strike in LA History: Burlington Tenants vs. Slumlord Attorney Lisa Ehrlich
In rapidly changing Westlake, hundreds of tenants — almost exclusively Latinx — are fighting back.
These Maps Show How SB 827 Targets Gentrifying Communities Of Color
While ignoring the richest and whitest parts of Los Angeles.
Why 37 Major Progressive Groups from Los Angeles Oppose State-Level Housing Bill SB 827
The battle lines around SB 827 are becoming increasingly clear.
A Revolution for California Housing: Repealing Costa-Hawkins (Yes on Prop 10)
Rent control is one of the foremost demands of grassroots movements organizing around housing justice.
“F*ck the billionaires” Isn’t Just Fun To Say — It’s Politically Strategic
Demonizing the super-rich is good, and extremely necessary.
Mariachi Plaza, Evictions, and the Bullshit Ideology Of Capitalism
If you are moved by these tenants’ struggle, please consider donating to support their rent strike and help cover legal fees.
Los Angeles is Quickly Becoming a Place Exclusively for the White and Rich
This isn't a natural process.
