Come Celebrate with San Diego Tenants Union for a night of fun food, community and resistance on Friday. March 29th from 5om to 9pm at Fair at 44 for our first Fundraiser.
Tickets are on sale at $10.00 each, purchasing one you automatically enter to win in our raffle of beautiful merchandise from local merchants and vendors.
Our mission is to implement knowledge of tenant rights in underrepresented communities by training members in planning, organizing, and mobilizing through popular education to create change in housing policy.
Our Testimonies of Change through Tenant Self Determination
First; San Diego Tenants Union as a Rapid Response Committed to Justice
On the evening of Saturday, December 8th, members of San Diego Tenants Union (SDTU) responded to flooding of more than 25 studio apartments from heavy rains on National Avenue. The conditions of apartments were so bad, tenants, many families with small children, were forced out of their homes during that winter month. The owner started trying to displace these tenants that same night. From rising water leading to damage and collection of mold, tenants needed emergency responders to assist in their right to repairs and advocacy in ongoing contract negotiations with management. SDTU responded with on the spot investigation documentation and mobilization. With SDTU’s empowerment through education Tenants then met with ownership and demanded that the landlord pay for hotel stays until the property was ready for them to move back. The owner agreed, however, according to the tenants, still hasn’t fulfilled that obligation.
Both National Avenue and Home Avenue are sites where mass displacement has been averted. Home Avenue is getting much-needed repairs after five years of promises. These repairs were preceded by three rent hikes in 10 months. The tenants contacted SDTU, from there we organized meetings and an official association. We then organized meetings with management and made efforts to involve Council Member Georgette Gomez’ staff. Now, repairs are on their way and tenants rights are being respected. Nearly 100 units have avoided displacement. We are actively organizing in these complexes. Had this been handled by a code enforcement office, the case would have been closed after management agreed with no further investigation of any follow through.
Second; Linda Vista Rent Strike; Tenant Power.
The Linda Vista Rent Strike took a lot of preparation, a lot of marches, a lot of rallies, a lot of protests, 14 hours of sit-ins/lockouts, 41 Rent Strikers and about 40 days of Rent Strike. 80 Tenants at The Village Apartments, lead by their elected association committee fought for major improvements in their first year of organizing. The second year of organizing led them to a fight for Rent Control. The tenants held meetings and protests at the Sunrise Management main office and onsite office. Forcing ownership to come to meetings and rejecting their rent increases in favor of a better deal. The ownership promised to return with a better offer but the tenants had already voted in a majority for a maximum rent increase of 2%. The vote came with the understanding that if ownership didn’t agree, we would strike. Ownership didn’t provide a better deal and we continued our monthly protests, escalating and targeting ownership. Looking for the answer that he never gave, the offer that he never came up with. And worst of all, with their attorneys scrambling with their options after tenants, didn’t pay the increase for two months. Finally, the strike started and we staked out in front of the landlord’s office to speak with him. Kevin Mathy locked himself in the office and didn’t come out for more than ten hours. They always called the police but we stood up for our rights and made the police respect it by recording their interactions with us and the tenants. Eventually, the manager was fired and we took the protest to Kevin Mathy’s home in Point Loma. Over 40 protestors marched to his home and read a letter aloud that was then posted on his door. Veteran Anti-displacement activists came from as far as Los Angeles to support the Strikers. Rents were still raised that year, between $50-$150. But most tenants signed new contracts with better terms several months after management initially notified them of the increases. But this year, all tenants received only a 2% rent increase. This is proof that organizing backed by direct action delivers the goods.
Third, Tenant Rights are an immigration issue
Immigrants who comprised the residents of PQ Village lost their homes after residing in Rancho Penasquitos for decades, all in the name of “development.” 332 Families who depended on subsidized housing were denied their rights to housing and were displaced in an 8-1 vote where building luxury housing was more important than these families’ futures. Children were displaced from their safe neighborhoods and from their award winning schools. Elders, people with disabilities and people fighting off cancer were displaced from their doctors and lifelong friends/support systems. A community of over 40 years was completely removed. Removed and displaced out of PQ Village, Out of San Diego and some were forced out of the US. Mass Displacement, gentrification, replacement of populations with needs to populations with privilege. All we could do was be the support system for the tenants being displaced. Our mission was to make sure no tenant went homeless. We were successful but the Allies for PQ Village still lack a sense of closure.
And Lastly; The Peoples Legal Defense; SDTU WON Against the City of Encinitas
San Diego Tenants United pro bono attorney Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi…issued the following statement, “The purpose of this lawsuit was to compel the City to follow state housing law that requires the City to plan for the housing needs of vulnerable low-income families and rezone adequate sites to accommodate the growing affordable housing needs.
“The Court has granted our writ, which means the City must come into compliance with its state law statutory obligation to facilitate the development of affordable housing. In the meantime, we hope the City takes the necessary steps to come into compliance as soon as possible so that an adequate inventory of sites is available.”
This service goes beyond any state or county or city regulated program or office hours. This is mutual aid, from one tenant to another.
As a tenant in City Heights District 9, we are doing the work to save communities from any outside interests. The diverse population is what makes San Diego beautiful, and with our organizing, we’re ensuring it stays that way.
In 2018, our work was recognized and funded by The California Endowment as we strive to continue this mission of providing grassroots advocacy, mobilizing leadership among renters, empowering them through education, and preserving communities in the fight against gentrification, we are asking for your solidarity in three ways
ONE Attend this fundraiser, March 29th, from 5 pm to 9 pm at Fair at 44, 4350 El Cajon Blvd. tickets are on sale now at $10 each, please contact me for further information. Attached is an official flyer.
TWO If a tenant, please become a member of our union, As a member of San Diego Tenants Union for only $20 a year, less than a cup of coffee per month, you are entitled to benefits listed below:
Telephone and in-person Consultations
Help Getting Repairs
Help Defending Evictions
Help Recovering Security Deposits
Help Terminating Leases Assistance Organizing Tenant Associations
Access to Template Letter & Custom Letters
Access to expert lease analysis
THREE If an organization sign on to our campaign for rent control. With over 10k signatures of ppl signing on, we can do this. https://www.change.org/p/san-diego-city-council-implement-rent-control-in-san-diego
