Tenants Win Big in Court Decision Upholding New LA Renter Protections
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has upheld two innovative tenant protection ordinances passed by the Los Angeles City Council against a legal challenge by the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA). One ordinance prohibits evictions based on nonpayment unless the tenant owes at least one month’s fair market rent, and the other ordinance requires landlords to provide relocation assistance to tenants forced to leave due to significant rent increases.
LAFLA and DREDF File Lawsuit to Defend Tenant Denied Access to Her Wheelchair
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) and co-counsel Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) have filed a lawsuit against Beach Front Property Management, Inc. for alleged disability discrimination. Beach Front, which manages hundreds of properties across Southern California, is accused of refusing to allow a long-term tenant to store her motorized wheelchair in an accessible location, making it impossible for her to enter or leave her own apartment.
Tenants’ Rights Advocates Reach Landmark Settlement on Behalf of Californians Struggling With Pandemic Rent Debt
A landmark settlement has been reached in a case brought by tenants’ rights advocates alleging that the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) unconstitutionally operated the state’s Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP or Housing is Key), which has led to qualified applicants missing out on the assistance they were promised after the pandemic destroyed many Californians’ livelihoods.
Tenant Rights Groups Celebrate Court Upholding New L.A. City Permanent Tenant Protections
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Denied AAGLA’s Preliminary Injunction and Allowed Tenant Groups to Join the City in the Defense of the Protections.
First Settlements Reached in Section 8 Discrimination Case
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund and Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles have reached the first settlements in a major lawsuit against 22 properties accused of unlawful discrimination against tenants receiving Section 8 vouchers.
Attorneys for Community Groups Denounce California’s Move to Appeal Ruling in Covid-19 Rent Relief Lawsuit
In January, a Superior Court judge ordered the state to develop denial notices that satisfy constitutional due process protections for applicants. OAKLAND, CA – March 2, 2023 – Attorneys representing three community groups suing the State of California for wrongfully denying applicants without adequate process in its Covid-19 rent relief program released a statement today […]
DREDF and LAFLA Sue 22 Housing Providers for Source-of-Income Discrimination in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Calif. – Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and co-counsel Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) have filed a lawsuit against 22 providers of rental housing in the City of Los Angeles for alleged source-of-income discrimination. The providers are accused of refusing to rent to a disabled participant of the Section […]
California Says Emergency Rental Assistance Program Will Likely Run Out of Funds with Over 140,000 Applicants Still in Limbo
California Says Emergency Rental Assistance Program Will Likely Run Out of Funds with Over 140,000 Applicants Still in Limbo State lawyer says the program’s remaining $177 million could go to private contractor if the state is forced to comply with a Superior Court order, leaving no money for tenants. Oakland, California – January 23, 2023 […]
Court Rejects Billionaire Developer’s Attack on LA’s Emergency Eviction Protections
LOS ANGELES, November 18, 2022 — A developer’s legal attack on the city’s emergency eviction protections—one that threatened to undermine other protective ordinances and push countless low-income tenants into homelessness—was dismissed Thursday. The developer, Geoffrey Palmer, whose company owns more than 15,000 units in Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit in August of 2021 seeking to overturn […]
LAFLA Protects Section 8 Tenant With Swift Action
In California, many Section 8 tenants are fighting against various forms of housing discrimination, an issue that often impedes their stability and can leave them under financial duress. As the largest federal housing program in the US, Section 8 programs provide housing subsidies sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to very low-income […]