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Assemblymember Alex Lee Releases Statement on AB 854

For immediate release:

I’m disappointed that AB 854 will not continue moving through the legislative process. Our sensible reform to the Ellis Act is aimed to stop unjust evictions by corporate real estate speculators in the middle of the worst housing and homeless crisis facing California. While this bill is not moving forward, we are within the margin of victory, and will be continuing the work to protect our most vulnerable residents.

The Ellis Act continues to be utilized as a speculative tool to remove units from our affordable housing supply at the expense of our most vulnerable tenants. Displacement only deepens our unprecedented housing and homelessness crisis, and it is unconscionable we do not take more drastic action.  Since 2001, 27,610 rent-controlled units have been taken off the rental market using the Ellis Act, displacing over 60,000 people in Los Angeles alone. I thank the bravery of our co-authors to stand with our working families and our broad coalition of housing advocates.

Thank you to co-authors Assemblymembers Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), Kalra (D-San Jose), Bloom (D-Santa Monica), Ting (D-San Francisco), Bonta (D-Oakland), Nazarian (D-Van Nuys), Wicks (D-Oakland), and Senators Allen (D-Santa Monica) and Stern (D-Los Angeles).