CES' Accomplishments and Victories
CES focuses on educating low and moderate income tenants about their rights to affordable, decent and safe housing, to train and empower them to take action to protect and advocate for their rights, and to build powerful, participatory tenant organizations of low income and working class people to work together toward these goals.
Rent Control and Other Renters’ Rights Programs.
CES led efforts to win the following programs:
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Rent control for the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood
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Incorporating the City of West Hollywood
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LA's Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP)
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LA's Rent Escrow Account Program (REAP)
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LA's Lead Paint Prevention Program
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LA's Housing Preservation Program
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LA’s Primary Renovation Ordinance and Tenant Habitability Plan Requirements
Tenants' Rights
CES campaigns led to the following:
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Substantial increases to tenant relocation assistance amounts.
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Rent control extended to Section 8 rent subsidized units.
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Rent control extended to units where landlords have prepaid their HUD subsidized mortgages and/or opted out of their project-based Section 8 contract
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Rent control extended to newly built apartments where tenants were falsely evicted using the Ellis Act
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Expanding LA Planning Department noticing requirements of zoning change hearings to include tenants
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Providing tenants interest on their security deposits
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Preventing landlords from changing terms of tenancy as a way to evict tenants
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Prohibiting landlords for demanding rent be paid only online
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Increasing rent reduction amounts where landlords have taken away services
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Winning numerous laws to provide tenants' rights and preserve affordable housing on the federal, state on local levels
Empowering Tenants
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Providing renters with crucial information at CES' Tenants' Rights Clinics
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Electing CES members to the West Hollywood City Council
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Assisting HUD Tenants in the purchase of 4 subsidized apartment complexes in Lincoln Heights, Sylmar, Hollywood and San Gabriel, to own and control these complexes as permanent affordable housing
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Organizing thousands of renters to stop unjust evictions and rent increases, force landlords to make needed repairs and save affordable housing
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Educating and organizing tenants to eradicate unsafe, unhealthy and toxic conditions in their dwellings