Gentrification in Boyle Heights

Gentrification In Boyle Heights 

The importance raising awareness of Gentrification in Boyle Heights:

Recently my grandmother who owns three properties on the corner of Marengo and Pomeroy street recently received a handful of phone calls asking if they could speak to her in regards of buying her property. Reluctantly she  declined and asked me why this man has been harassing her about the properties she own. I asked her if she knew what gentrification was and without blinking her fragile eye she responded "¿Que es eso?"(What is that). It then dawned on me that like my grandmother many un educated people in Boyle Heights are in the same boat that she is in. Confused as to why people are so desired on buying homes or land in a area with an household median average of a $35,000 a year. I explained to my grandmother that gentrification is the process of renovating and improvising a house or a district so that it conforms to the middle/upper middle class taste. A perfect example this was when the landlords of a family owned business called Carnitas Michoacana raised their rent stagnantly until they couldn't afford it anymore. Then within a couple months after being their for over thirty plus years was run out and turned into a Panda Express. This is only one example of the many that have already and will continue to transpire in my community. The wealthy invest in low income communities to then invest in the appeal of the upper middle income which then displaces the lower-income communities that call this place home. This is why it is important to be aware of what is going on in the community because so many are being affected by it. My grandmother was considering their offer and recently decided she was going was not going to sell. Many people in this area don't have the luxury of owning their own land. Many are renting and are very close to being homeless due to the increasingly high rate of their rent. Those including myself can't afford to live in my own community. If I were to try to move out and rent down the street I would be paying close to $2,200 for a 2 bedroom house in my area.


Graciela Mendoza (My Grandmother) Statement: Ive been lucky enough to be able to afford my mortgage. Surprisingly this is the first time  have heard about gentrification. I have on the other hand noticed the change in my community. Small businesses are closing while Starbucks and Fast-food places are incoming. I want my children to be able to afford to live close to me but the reality is that at this time they cannot afford to live close to home.

Those without the luxury of owning their own property:

In the journal article "Evidence of Gentrification-induced Displacement among Social Services in London and Los Angeles" author Geoffrey DeVerteuil states, "A wide array of research has shown gentrification to be harmful, including increased cost of living, depletion of neighborhood place-identity, homelessness, community conflict and, critical, the purported direct and indirect displacement of low income groups and their attendant landscapes."(1564) The real life example of this is through Jose Solano, in the article " Homelessness has many faces" author  Esmeralda Ortiz and Samantha Silva state, "Wearing an old dirty shirt, while lying on a rocky surface with blankets under him. Jose Solano, 59, explains how he went from earning a living to living under a bridge at Hollenback Park. As he tells it, when he was diagnosed with kidney problems sen years ago and told  he would eventually need a transplant, he lost hope and problems  seven years ago and told he would eventually need a transplant, he lost all hope and decided to give up everything he owned.

Solano, who was born in Mexico, has three daughters, now 14, nine and eight, whom he hasn’t seen since he isolated himself from the world. He said he left them to save them from pitying him.

“I retired and gave everything away,” Solano said. “My female friend left me, I gave all of my things away and I went to sleep at a park.”Beside him was a market cart loaded with goods, including blankets, tortillas, containers with food and personal belongings. Socks were hung on the cart to dry. He said volunteers at the Parish of Santa Isabel on Soto Street supply him with these things.He feels he’s still alive because of his faith in God. “Years have gone by, and I feel better than before,” he said in Spanish. “Before I couldn’t walk, and now I can walk. I feel good. I feel spiritually healthy and physically healthy.""(2016)  His health took part in controlling his world. With the increasing amount of money it would take to keep himself alive would crush the financial situation of those around him. His belief was to sacrifice himself for those around him to survive without the worry of taking care of their father. This reality is just one that has been identified but what about those around him who may have similar stories. The cost of rent is through he roof in Boyle Heights now add bills from the hospital.

South Park as social commentary of gentrification: (background Info) When talk show host Jimmy Fallon jokes about how backward South Park is in his Tonight Show monologue due to Herbert Gerrisons anti-immigration Presidential platform, Randy Marsh relies the townsfolk to give the town a modern makeover and convict the nation that they are not all xenophobic hicks. The new shopping district SoDoSoPa is created in the poor side of town surrounding Kennys house. It's name  is likely contraction of its location in town:"South of DownTown South Park." This pan leads to Randy Venturing further by requesting a Whole Foods.

The Future Of Boyle Heights:

"Developer Izek Shomof purchased the building and the surrounding 13-acre site in 2013, with plans for an adaptive reuse projects - and potentially ground-up development.  Shomof has previously converted multiple buildings in Downtown Los Angeles into apartments, and is currently in construction on a similar project in Panorama City.

Architecture firm Omgivning, which specializes in adaptive reuse projects, has been tapped to design the Sears building's revival.  The existing building will see nine light courts carved into its interior, allowing for the creation of creative office space and live/work apartments above shops and restaurants. 

At the first through fourth floors of the building, plans call for exhibition space, a food market and creative offices.  On the fourth through tenth floors, plans call for a total of 1,030 residential units.  The building's 11th floor and roof level are to be repurposed with residential amenities, including a swimming pool, laundry facilities, a basketball court, a gym and event space.  The iconic tower would see its upper level converted into a penthouse residence."- (Urbanize Los Angeles)

Why Gentrification is Important to me: 

Currently I live in one of the two housing projects in Boyle Heights and my goal is to someday purchase my own house in my community. At this time right now if I were to try to move out I would need 4 roommates to afford a place to live. My grandmother purchased her home for around $150,000 in the 90's and right now here house is worth upwards to $500,000. Thats good for her but for those who want to stay here we must surpass the class we are in right now. Right now I am trying to attain a education but what about those who have lived here all of their life and worked multiple jobs to afford their rent and bills. The Los Angeles Housing and Community department state, "Legally land lords can raise your rent 3% once every 12 months. To balance the needs of both tenants and landlords, the allowable rent increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). All this means that rent can only be increased 3% - 10% every year.  

If your landlord pays for the gas and electricity in your rental unit, he or she may increase your rent another 1% for each utility. A landlord may also raise the rent for an additional tenant. Learn more about this type of rent increase in the Addition Tenants Bulletin.

Your landlord does not need to notify the City to implement these rent increases.  But there are other types of rent increases allowed if approved by the Housing + Community Investment Department (HCIDLA). For instance, a landlord may raise the rent for improvements or upgrades. Learn more in the Allowable Rent Increases Bulletin." That means that once these new apartments who are charging  $3,000 for a studio apartment in Boyle Heights Slumlords and Landlords will want those who are willing to pay for those apartments to also stay in their apartments or properties. So when it comes to resigning a lease they will spike their rent to an increasingly higher number than previously spent causing those to be displaced due to the insufficient amount made for living.

Resources:

Brown-Saracino, Japonica. The Gentrification Debates: A Reader. Taylor and Francis, 2013.

Chandler, Jenna. “New Renderings Unveiled for Massive Redevelopment of Boyle Heights Sears Complex.” La Curbed, 19 Oct. 2017, la.curbed.com/2017/10/19/16501368/sears-development-boyle-heights-renderings.

City, Los Angeles. “HOW MUCH CAN MY LANDLORD RAISE MY RENT?” The Los Angeles Housing and Community Department, HCDILA, hcidla.lacity.org/blog/how-much-can-my-landlord-raise-my-rent.

De Verteuil, Geoffrey. “Evidence of Gentrification-Induced Displacement among Social Services in London and Los Angeles.” Urban Studies, vol. 48, no. 8, 2011, p. 1563.

Ortiz, Esmeralda, and Samantha Silva. “Homelessness Has Many Faces in Boyle Heights.” Boyle Heights Beat, 20 Sept. 2016, boyleheightsbeat.com/homelessness-has-many-faces-in-boyle-heights/.

Sharp, Steven. “Boyle Heights Sears Building Slated for Revival.” Urbanize Los Angeles, 8 Oct. 2017, urbanize.la/post/boyle-heights-sears-building-slated-revival.

City, Los Angeles. “HOW MUCH CAN MY LANDLORD RAISE MY RENT?” The Los Angeles Housing and Community Department, HCDILA, hcidla.lacity.org/blog/how-much-can-my-landlord-raise-my-rent.
Ortiz, Esmeralda, and Samantha Silva. “Homelessness Has Many Faces in Boyle Heights.” Boyle Heights Beat, 20 Sept. 2016, boyleheightsbeat.com/homelessness-has-many-faces-in-boyle-heights/.
Sharp, Steven. “Boyle Heights Sears Building Slated for Revival.” Urbanize Los Angeles, 8 Oct. 2017, urbanize.la/post/boyle-heights-sears-building-slated-revival.
Chandler, Jenna. “New Renderings Unveiled for Massive Redevelopment of Boyle Heights Sears Complex.” La Curbed, 19 Oct. 2017, la.curbed.com/2017/10/19/16501368/sears-development-boyle-heights-renderings.
City, Los Angeles. “HOW MUCH CAN MY LANDLORD RAISE MY RENT?” The Los Angeles Housing and Community Department, HCDILA, hcidla.lacity.org/blog/how-much-can-my-landlord-raise-my-rent.
Ortiz, Esmeralda, and Samantha Silva. “Homelessness Has Many Faces in Boyle Heights.” Boyle Heights Beat, 20 Sept. 2016, boyleheightsbeat.com/homelessness-has-many-faces-in-boyle-heights/.
Sharp, Steven. “Boyle Heights Sears Building Slated for Revival.” Urbanize Los Angeles, 8 Oct. 2017, urbanize.la/post/boyle-heights-sears-building-slated-revival.
Chandler, Jenna. “New Renderings Unveiled for Massive Redevelopment of Boyle Heights Sears Complex.” La Curbed, 19 Oct. 2017, la.curbed.com/2017/10/19/16501368/sears-development-boyle-heights-renderings.
City, Los Angeles. “HOW MUCH CAN MY LANDLORD RAISE MY RENT?” The Los Angeles Housing and Community Department, HCDILA, hcidla.lacity.org/blog/how-much-can-my-landlord-raise-my-rent.
Ortiz, Esmeralda, and Samantha Silva. “Homelessness Has Many Faces in Boyle Heights.” Boyle Heights Beat, 20 Sept. 2016, boyleheightsbeat.com/homelessness-has-many-faces-in-boyle-heights/.
Sharp, Steven. “Boyle Heights Sears Building Slated for Revival.” Urbanize Los Angeles, 8 Oct. 2017, urbanize.la/post/boyle-heights-sears-building-slated-revival.

1.