Housing, Equity and Community Series
A UCLA joint endeavor sponsored by the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and the UCLA Ziman Center’s Howard and Irene Levine Program in Housing and Social Responsibility.
The California Legislature approved rent stabilization, just cause protections, and Section 8 non-discrimination laws this year, and local proposals like tenant “right to counsel” are also under consideration. While these protections will help tenants, they’re only as good as the enforcement behind them. How do we ensure that renters know their rights, that landlords uphold them, and that rental housing can become a real “home” for LA-area tenants?
Join us on Nov. 20 for the first Housing, Equity, and Community Series presentation of the 2019-20 year. Professor Michael Lens will present new research on neighborhood eviction rates, followed by a conversation with practitioners about enforcement of new and existing tenant protections — including areas where we’ve historically fallen short and opportunities for improvement in the future.
Questions to be explored include:
- How does enforcement of these protections work today? Are LA and other local governments proactive in their inspections or more complaint-driven?
- What is the role of community groups in this process?
- What are the consequences of failure to enforce housing codes and other tenant protections?
- Is educating all tenants about their rights feasible? How do we design protections that “just work” without heavy enforcement and oversight?
Speakers:
Chancela Al-Mansour, Executive Director, Housing Rights Center
Robert Galardi, Chief Inspector, Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department
Michael Lens, Associate Faculty Director, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies; Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy, UCLA Luskin School
Moderator:
Evelyn Blumenberg, Director, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies; Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School
