Los Angeles Tenants Union

Los Angeles Tenants Union
Name	Los Angeles Tenants Union
Formation	2009
Type	Tenants' union
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Region served	Los Angeles County

Los Angeles Tenants Union is a tenant-led organization based in Los Angeles that organizes renters around housing rights, rent control, and tenant protections. The group emerged amid housing crises affecting neighborhoods such as Echo Park, Koreatown, and South Los Angeles, and it has engaged with allied organizations including Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers, and Coalition for Economic Survival. It operates in the context of municipal agencies like the Los Angeles Housing Department and state laws such as the Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act and California Tenant Protection Act of 2019.

History

The union formed in 2009 during a period marked by the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, foreclosure waves affecting communities like Watts and Pacoima, and rising activism similar to movements such as Occupy Oakland and Occupy Los Angeles. Early organizing intersected with campaigns around Skid Row housing, tenant protections advanced in the Los Angeles City Council, and coalition work with groups like Housing is a Human Right and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. The union grew alongside policy debates about rent control reform, the repeal attempts of Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act, and statewide initiatives influenced by advocates behind the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (SB 330) and ballot measures in California Proposition 10 (2018).

Organization and Structure

The union operates through local chapters across neighborhoods including Hollywood, Venice, Boyle Heights, and Wilmington. It employs a model of direct democracy similar to assemblies used by Madison grassroots groups and draws on organizational forms used by the Industrial Workers of the World and tenant coalitions like Metropolitan Tenants Organization. Its leadership includes volunteer organizers, tenant coordinators, and neighborhood stewards who liaise with institutions such as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the California State Legislature. Funding and resources have come from donations, member dues, and solidarity support from organizations like National Alliance of HUD Tenants and labor partners such as United Teachers Los Angeles.

Campaigns and Activities

Campaigns have targeted landlords including property management firms with portfolios in Downtown Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Culver City, while coordinating eviction defense in concert with groups like Eviction Defense Network and legal clinics affiliated with Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and Public Counsel. Activities include tenant unions’ "Know Your Rights" workshops at venues such as Los Angeles Trade–Technical College and street actions coordinated near sites like MacArthur Park and Union Station. The union has participated in ballot campaigns comparable to Yes on Prop 10 efforts and collaborated with statewide organizations like Tenants Together and national networks such as Right to the City Alliance.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

The organization advocates for expanded rent control protections beyond provisions in the Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act, universal just-cause eviction protections similar to ordinances in Oakland and Berkeley, and increased public housing investments akin to policies promoted by New York City Housing Authority. It supports tenant relocation assistance modeled on programs in San Francisco and eviction moratoria similar to those enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic at the state level through California COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020. The union has lobbied the Los Angeles City Council on tenant protections, engaged with state legislators involved in bills like SB 91 (2021), and aligned with housing rights proposals advanced by figures such as Karen Bass and organizations including Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.

Notable Actions and Protests

Notable direct actions include large-scale demonstrations near Los Angeles City Hall, tenant occupations of buildings in Hollywood and Echo Park, and eviction blockades coordinated with groups like Street Watch LA and community organizations in Boyle Heights. The union joined wider protests concurrent with events such as the Women's March (2017) in Los Angeles and participated in housing-focused marches echoing tactics used during the Great Recession protests. It has organized tenant pickets outside developers linked to projects in South Bay and partnered with labor strikes at employers including local chapters of UCLA adjunct movements and service worker actions supported by UNITE HERE.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have accused the union of employing confrontational tactics similar to those used by national direct-action groups like ACORN (prior to its dissolution) and have clashed with landlord associations such as the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles and corporate interests represented by firms like CBRE Group. Legal disputes have arisen involving alleged trespass or interference during tenant occupations, drawing responses from legal entities such as California Association of Realtors and municipal law enforcement at Los Angeles Police Department precincts. Debates have occurred within progressive coalitions over alignment with electoral strategies tied to figures like Gavin Newsom and policy trade-offs in city housing platforms championed by politicians like Eric Garcetti.

Impact and Influence on Housing Policy

The union has influenced local policy discourse, contributing to measures that expanded tenant protections in ordinances debated by the Los Angeles City Council and shaping public conversation around rent stabilization modeled after cities like Santa Monica. Its organizing pressured developers and landlords, affected negotiations in tenant relocation settlements, and amplified tenant voices in coalitions with groups such as LA Tenants Right to Counsel Coalition and Housing Now!. Scholars and journalists at outlets like the Los Angeles Times and academics at institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles and University of Southern California have documented its role in the broader struggle over housing affordability and urban development in Los Angeles County.

Category:Tenant organizations in the United States Category:Organizations based in Los Angeles