L.A. in Crisis: Residents 'Stress' Over Housing Prices After Fires

The people of Los Angeles are demanding protection when it comes to housing.
After wildfires ravaged Southern California, leaving many without homes and searching for a place to rent, residents revealed how landlords are jacking up prices due to the high demand.
Join us to hear stories from the Hollywood residents struggling to survive post-natural disaster…
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Wendy López — who resides in a rent-stabilized Mid City apartment — told The Guardian that she was given an eviction notice one day before the facility she worked at as a caretaker in the Pacific Palisades burnt to the ground. To make matters worse, her landlord upped her monthly rent from $1,320 to $1,430.
"Having this eviction at the same time as losing 50 percent of my income has been a huge source of stress," the 45-year-old told the outlet. "Without slowing this down, I won't be able to pay."

While licensees continue to take advantage of people at a vulnerable time, taxpayers are pressuring politicians to put a countywide eviction moratorium and rent freeze in place.
"If we just let people get evicted, if we let them become homeless and lose them to other cities, we're going to look back on this moment and wish we could have done something differently," tenant organizer and director of policy and advocacy at the non-profit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy's Chelsea Kirk said.

Landscaper and house cleaner María del Sagrario Hernández also lost her job due to the infernos after struggling to pay her rent since December 2024. Now, she's been on the receiving end of phone calls urging she leave her apartment.
"This is why we're demanding that the city help us at this moment," the 56-year-old noted. "Many people have lost work and are facing eviction. That's more people without work, more people in the streets."

Despite the public believing only certain areas of Los Angeles County and rich people who lost their mansions were touched by the devastating situation, residents want lawmakers to understand how much damage has been done.
"The idea that only people in the Palisades and Altadena are impacted, that losing your home is the only type of displacement, is just not true," Kirk explained.

Unfortunately, the L.A. City Council Committee rejected a citywide rent freeze. Luckily, on January 21, they put in place a resolution to enact eviction protections for renters who are accommodating displaced people and their pets, as well as expand short-term rentals for displaced people.
Tony Carfello, an organizer with the L.A. Tenants Union, called the actions "a Band-Aid on a missing hand."
"What's needed is urgent action," he made clear.