🔥LA Renters Under Fire: From Price Gouging to Budget Cuts, Who’s Really Paying?

The headlines this week are full of heat — and not just from the wildfires. Between landlords skirting disaster price-gouging laws, major rent control battles at the Capitol, and neighborhood value spikes pushing out long-time tenants, L.A. renters are facing pressure from every side.

Here’s what’s happening and what you need to watch.

According to a new Crosstown analysis, West Adams saw a 107% increase in property values since 2016 — the highest in all of Los Angeles.

Other fast-rising neighborhoods include:

🏠 What does that mean for renters? Displacement.

As values climb, landlords are cashing in — by raising rents, refusing to renew leases, or evicting tenants under loopholes. Longtime families are being priced out, and the influx of luxury units isn’t easing the burden on working-class residents.

After January’s wildfires in the Palisades and Eaton Canyon, thousands of homes were destroyed, and rents shot up across Los Angeles. That’s despite California’s 10% rent cap during emergencies.

Enter the Rent Brigade — a volunteer-led coalition that’s tracked over 8,000 listings suspected of illegal post-fire price hikes. Yet, only four criminal cases have been filed.

With public officials slow to act, it's a chilling sign for renters relying on the law to keep housing remotely affordable.

The White House's 2025 budget proposal includes a 40% cut to HUD rental assistance — including Section 8 — and imposes a two-year cap for able-bodied adults.

If passed, it would:

With homelessness already at record highs, housing advocates are calling this “destabilizing and dangerous” — and warning it could lead to mass evictions if states don’t fill the gap.

Meanwhile, LA Mayor Karen Bass’ new budget cuts city-financed affordable housing by 80%, dropping projected development from 770 to just 160 homes next year.

This comes at a time when:

Officials blame sunsetting bond programs and litigation around the “mansion tax.” But renters are left holding the bag — again.

This week, we spotlight the grassroots warriors of the Rent Brigade, who meet weekly at Bernie’s Coffee Shop near LACMA to track illegal listings, support displaced tenants, and push for real legal action.

Armed with spreadsheets, screenshots, and social solidarity, they’ve done more than some city departments to protect renters post-disaster. Their work went viral — and their courage is inspiring a new wave of renter-led accountability.

Want to help?
📍 Visit RentBrigade.org (or check Bernie’s event board).
💻 Submit illegal listings.
🧾 Organize in your neighborhood.

LA renters are being squeezed harder than ever — by disaster, displacement, and disinvestment. But while institutions hesitate, community power is rising.

Here’s what to do:

✊ Rent smarter. Live better. Fight harder.

See you next week,
The Tenure View Team
www.thetenureview.com

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