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: 

83-Year Old Tenant Finds New Home Thanks to Outpouring of Support

Tenants Together is pleased to announce that 83-year old Dorothy Morris has found a new home that will take her section 8 Voucher.  Thanks to her determination and an outpouring of support, Morris will avoid homelessness and land in a decent, affordable home in Sacramento.  She will no longer be subject to mistreatment by Sacramento Manor.

We reiterate that this eviction never should have occurred.  Seniors should not be subject to eviction simply for having their rent subsidized by the section 8 program.  As Dorothy has noted at every point, picking up and moving is extremely difficult for someone of her age. California must ban section 8 discrimination and adopt additional protections against eviction of seniors.

Tenants Together is proud to have played a role in this outcome for Dorothy.  We also recognize that it took an entire community to make this happen.  Hundreds of TT members across the state took action upon learning of this eviction.  TT’s legal department also intervened to make sure Dorothy got the help she needed.  Our allies at California Alliance for Retired Americans, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Resources for Independent Living, Sacramento Housing Alliance, and Legal Services of Northern California all played key roles in securing this outcome.

More photos on our Facebook page

Attorney Christopher J. Fry of Law Offices of Ted A. Greene learned of the case from the publicity and was so moved that he offered to represent Dorothy on a pro bono basis.  He has filed a motion to undo the eviction judgment and is considering suing Sacramento Manor on Dorothy’s behalf.  We commend Fry for taking on this important case.

Background

Dorothy and all other section 8 tenants were forced out of Sacramento Manor, a senior housing community in Sacramento.  According the Sacramento Bee, “Sacramento Manor manager Jessica Dawn Gering testified in the one-day trial that the landlord evicted Morris as part of its effort to rid itself of federally-subsidized Section 8 tenants.”  Dorothy was not represented by an attorney in the eviction case.  The judge entered a directed verdict for the landlord, refusing to allow the jury that was impaneled to render a decision.

Morris was scheduled for eviction on January 2, 2015.  The Sacramento Manor would not agree to a several day extension requested by Morris through her lawyer, instead pressing forward with plans to have the sheriff remove Morris from her home. How Sacramento Manor can call itself a place “where seniors thrive” is baffling in light of their abusive conduct toward this elderly tenant.  Morris is packing and preparing to move into her new home in the upcoming days.

California law does not expressly ban Section 8 discrimination, emboldening landlords to blatantly discriminate against low-income tenants who rely on a Section 8 voucher to subsidize their rent. Sign the petition to ban Section 8 discrimination now.