Proposed Law Threatens L.A. CalTrans Tenants’ Right to Buy Their Homes

Editor’s note: Last year in Los Angeles, homeless people and their neighbors, during the Pandemic, launched a successful campaign to take over vacant State-owned houses.  Activists opened the first house for two moms with kids, and a 64-year-old welder who lived in his van in March of 2021, calling their movement ‘Reclaiming Our Homes.’ And, on March 18, 2021, they put people into eleven more homes. Now State officials are promoting a plan that would prevent organized groups like them from becoming owners of what have truly become their homes. Tenants are asking for your help as they fight a proposed new law that is threatening their ability to secure their own housing. (For background information, see article published by the People’s Tribune in 2021 at: http://www.peoplestribune.org/latest-news/reclaiming-our-homes-in-los-angeles-ca/)

Open Letter to Those Who Believe in Housing as a Human Right: 

We all remember the heroic stand taken by the Reclaimers in Los Angeles to get families into safe housing as the pandemic ripped through the streets.  The vacant houses they claimed are owned by the State government, but it took the action of these families and thousands of supporters to get law enforcement to back off and literally let them protect their lives.

Now State officials are promoting a plan that would prevent organized groups like them from becoming owners of what have truly become their homes.  

Please see this urgent bilingual video message below from the El Sereno Reclaimers, who need help to convince California Senator Durazo to correct a mistake in SB 51 that prevents their housing cooperative from achieving the housing they fought for so valiantly and with so much community support. 

CONTACT THE SENATOR AND SHARE THE VIDEO BELOW WITH OTHERS!

We especially need residents of District 24 (includes neighborhoods of Highland Park, El Sereno, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Mt. Washington, Lincoln Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, East Hollywood, Pico-Union, City Terrace, East LA, Chinatown, and others) 

To contact:

Senator María Lena Durazo, District 24

(213) 483-9300

(916) 651-4024