Los Angeles housing battle puts Latino families at risk of losing more than just a roof over their heads

• Latino families at risk face permanent displacement in South LA as community groups demand strict enforcement of local tenant protection laws.

• Longtime residents and housing advocates confront aggressive landlord pressures while urging municipal agencies to stop demolition permits before January 2027.

• Legal defense teams warn that relocation payments between 13.5k and 27k aren’t enough to cover the rising rental costs in California.

The ongoing dispute known as the Los Angeles housing battle leaves dozens of residents at a multi family complex on $1,078$–$1,086$ West $39$th Street facing eviction threats and structural neglect near Exposition Park, while Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment members protested under heavy rain outside City Hall alongside Reverend Rae Huang, ACCE member and associate director of Housing Now and the Housing Justice Coalition, demanding that the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety enforce existing rent stabilization ordinances and explicitly criticizing the Los Angeles Housing Department for allowing the property owner to break local laws to facilitate the demolition of their homes.

Furthermore, Latino families at risk in South LA fear losing their deep-rooted neighborhood connections alongside their homes, with $75$-year-old Salvadoran resident Balbino Nerio reflecting on over $26$ years in his apartment while relying on his pension and street sales of backpacks, suitcases and bags; additionally, longtime tenant Petra Adame emphasized that residents raised their children together long before landlord Saman Steghball acquired the building in $2017$ through corporate entities like $38$ St LLC and $3927$ Wisconsin LLC, leading tenants to argue that Steghball, co-founder of downtown menswear brand Barabas Men, famously known for selling shirts worn by “El Chapo” Guzmán, intends to replace affordable housing with market-rate units that original working class families cannot afford.

Los Angeles housing battle sparks tension over permits

Similarly, controversy escalated after the Los Angeles Department of City Planning approved the landlord’s initial development application submitted in $2023$, initiating multiple municipal extensions that pushed eviction deadlines to January $31$, $2027$, while Los Angeles Housing Department public relations representative Sharon Sandow stated that LAHD investigated harassment claims, monitored needed repairs and confirmed that demolition permits will not receive approval until residents vacate and receive relocation assistance; nevertheless, Latino families at risk gain bilingual liaison support and legal referrals through Angelina Dumarot, deputy chief of staff for District $9$ Councilmember Curren Price, as immigrant households overcome language barriers and fear of retaliation.

On the other hand, lawyer Alex Scott from Movement Legal explained that the state law passed in November 2025 under Section 65915(c)(3)(B)(i) of the California Government Code requires developers to replace demolished units with affordable housing that matches specific income levels, including Low, Very Low, Extremely Low, and Acute Low Income categories; however, the current relocation offers, ranging from $13.5k to $27k, are insufficient for tenants who are used to historical monthly rents between $700 and $800, which has led legal advocates to consider filing lawsuits against the city, suing the landlord for compliance with the Housing Crisis Act, or pursuing separate harassment claims under the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance.

Critical indicators in the Exposition Park tenant displacement struggle

Likewise, institutional data regarding tenant rights enforcement across Southern California reveals severe operational gaps within local oversight agencies; therefore, community members should consider the following legal metrics:

• Minimal municipal prosecution: The Housing Department handled over 24,000 tenant complaints in 5 years, but only managed to get one city lawyer to file a lawsuit.

• Unenforced TAHO protections: Ongoing harassment reports documented since $2022$ within the Los Angeles housing battle failed to generate direct city sanctions against property managers.

• Mandatory affordable replacement: State housing rules mandate equivalent low income replacement units for developments approved after November $2025$.

• Support for Latino families at risk: The growing pressure shows that payments of up to $27 can’t cover market-rate housing for older people with fixed incomes facing eviction timelines.

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Legal opposition protects Latino families at risk in South LA

Resolving this high stakes dispute near the University of Southern California campus will establish a critical precedent for tenant protections throughout Los Angeles County, as housing advocates reiterate that preventing homelessness requires strict municipal oversight before a bitter Los Angeles housing battle destroys historic neighborhood stability across the city.