Stop unfair eviction - UC Irvine protest

Ironic: A landlord that studies seniors, and is unfairly evicting seniors from their homes. Join us to call out this hipocracy and stop the evictions: RSVP » 



Orange County supporters,

I am writing this last-minute because evictions move fast. If you've ever gone through an eviction, or have friends or neighbors who have, you know what it's like. On Thursday afternoon I'm driving home to Orange County to help stop the unfair eviction of Theresa Flandrich, because I don't want her community to lose her. I need you to join me on Friday if you can.

Theresa has been fighting her eviction for over a year, and in that time has also worked hard to support others. She formed the first ever North Beach Tenants Association in her neighborhood in San Francisco. She attended Tenants Together's Tenant Leadership Institute last year and helped tenants from Santa Ana, San Diego, and all over California learn from her example of how to reach out to your neighbors, help tenants learn their rights, and organize to stop evictions. Now we need your help so Theresa can stay in her home.

Theresa at our Tenant Leadership Institute in 2015

I'm coming home to Orange County because her landlord, Annlia Paganini Hill, lives in Laguna Beach and is a researcher at UC Irvine, my alma mater. Last year she gave eviction notices to an entire building of tenants, many of them elderly, just so she can make a quick buck selling the units as condos. After a year of fighting, next week Theresa and other tenants are facing their day in court. There is still time for Hill to drop the eviction.

Ironically landlord Hill works as a researcher studying the question: "What makes people live to age 90 and beyond?" at UC Irvine. It is well documented that evictions cause serious health effects including increased risk of heart attacks for seniors. Hill has no place studying a population that she clearly cares so little about. As an alum of UC Irvine I'm ashamed that they would employ someone so hypocritical. Join us to pressure Hill at her place of employment to demand she drop the evictions.

Sincerely,
Aimee Inglis
Program Manager, Tenants Together

Where: UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders

2642 Biological Sciences III Irvine, CA 92697

When: Friday, August 7th at 1pm



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Who is fighting to stay? About the tenants:

Silvio is a 68 year old, nearly blind, Vietnam Vet who is the 2nd generation growing up in North Beach and his daughters, and grandchildren live 5 blocks away.

Theresa raised her grown son in the unit and took care of the previous landlord, Annlia's aunt, from 2006-until her death in 2010 and managed the building for the last year of her life.

Elaine, 88 years old, the upstairs neighbor for 25 years passed away in March. The stress of "having nowhere to go" exacerbated her heart condition.

Tenants and allies are asking her to drop the evictions and just let the tenants stay in their homes. TT member organization Housing Rights Committee is organizing in San Francisco and has supported these tenants in their fight, and asked us to spread the word about this action in Irvine. Join us to stop the evictions:

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Hear from Theresa in her own words: 

Infamous SF Landlord Takes A Hit: Gives Bank 51 of Its Buildings to Avoid Foreclosure

For all of those who have stood up to the abusive tactics of one notorious San Francisco landlord, there is a measure of satisfaction in the news that the CitiApartments/Skyline conglomerate has been forced to give up 51 of its buildings.

The San Francisco Business Times reports that San Francisco's second biggest landlord has deeded 51 buildings back to its lender (UBS bank) rather than face foreclosure, giving up ownership of an estimated 1500 apartments in San Francisco. From what we hear, this may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Tenant advocates have warned for years that CitiApartments and its related entities are engaged in a nasty type of predatory equity -- overpaying for apartment buildings with the plan to force out low-rent tenants and replace them with high-rent tenants. Lembi's entities have faced numerous lawsuits for harassment and other abusive tactics, including a lawsuit brought by San Francisco's city attorney who commented that "the facts revealed by my office's investigation demonstrate very clearly that the owners of Skyline Realty and CitiApartments made a calculated business decision to operate in violation of the law -- and to do so consistently."

Apparently the business model of overpaying for apartment buildings on the assumption that you can bully rent-controlled tenants out of their homes and get higher rents isn't such a winning strategy after all.

Unfortunately for tenants of these buildings, CitiApartments will continue managing the buildings. It remains to be seen whether the tenants' situation will improve or get worse under CitiApartments' management when the company no longer owns the buildings. Bank owners are not know for being good landlords, as tenants in foreclosed properties across the state know. So tenants in these buildings may find themselves going out of the frying pan and into the fire.