Four Boyle Heights tenants are facing evictions under the Ellis Act

On Thursday, May 29, locals from Boyle Heights said “no” to the Ellis Act eviction and the demolition of rent-controlled properties in a rally, with the support of City District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado along with other Los Angeles tenants unions.

Currently, four longtime Boyle Heights tenant families are facing eviction from their rent-controlled homes on 1st Street and have formed a tenant association called Inquilinas de la Primera y Fickett. Their landlord, First Street Towers LLC, owned by Joseph Golshan of Beverly Hills, claims the five-unit property will be demolished and replaced with 52-unit towers.

During the rally, tenants Blanca de León, Lucrecia Muñoz, and Guillermina Barba and other tenants in Boyle Heights made sure their voices were heard as they chanted, “¡Golshan escucha! ¡Estamos en la lucha!” as they are facing eviction.

The tenant association, created by the four of them, is at the forefront of this ongoing eviction battle, with the support of members of the Comité Anti-Ellis of the Los Angeles Tenants Union (LATU), Re/Arte and the Los Angeles Center for Community Law and Action (LACCLA). 

The corporation has issued eviction notices under the Ellis Act, demanding that the tenants move out to demolish the apartments. The Ellis Act is a legal technicality that enables mass evictions of tenants in rent-stabilized units, further reducing LA’s already-dwindling stock of rent-stabilized properties.

The tenant association has asked their landlord to drop the plan to demolish and let them stay, or alternatively, to guarantee them the right to return to the property after construction at the same rents they have now. 

Golshan has refused, instead threatening to file eviction lawsuits against the tenants.