Justo hace un año miles de inquilinos de bajos ingresos del condado de Los Ángeles se sintieron aliviados después de que la Junta de Supervisores aprobara una ordenanza provisional para congelar el alza del alquiler en un 3% anual.

La ordenanza también suspendió los desalojos sin causa justa y es valida en todas las áreas no incorporadas del condado de Los Ángeles, a excepción de las propiedades exentas de control de alquileres.

No obstante, la moción temporal, que fue extendida en julio, y esta pautada para expirar el 31 de diciembre de 2019, tendrá la oportunidad de convertirse en una ordenanza permanente. La votación esta programa para este martes 10 de septiembre.

Representantes de la organización La Lucha del Pueblo (Inner City Struggle ICS), líder en el movimiento, dijeron que, si no se hace algo pronto, miles de familias de áreas no incorporadas del condado de Los Ángeles, incluyendo el lado este, podrían correr el riesgo de perder sus hogares por desalojos injustos y aumentos de alquiler escandalosos.

Henry Pérez, director ejecutivo interino de ICS, dijo que en esta ocasión los inquilinos no solamente están buscando una estabilización de renta permanente, pero también una forma de poder informar a los arrendatarios acerca de sus derechos.

“Hay muchos inquilinos que no saben de esta póliza y les hemos dado la información, pero si no saben como van a pelear”, dijo Pérez.

Orlando Martinez
Educational Justice Parent Organizer

Gender Pronouns: he, him, his 

Orlando is a lifelong resident of Boyle Heights and alumnus of Mendez High School. Being the child of Salvadoran immigrants, Orlando was aware of the socio-economic challenges presented to himself and his community which empowered him to continue his education to then he could serve the Eastside. 

Orlando went on to attend UC Santa Barbara where he earned his B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy with a minor in History. Orlando was also able to study abroad in Chile and intern for Fundación Iguales, a non-profit organization that works to address issues of interest to the Chilean LGBTQ+ community which includes transgender identity rights and the legality of same-sex marriage. This experience taught him about the power that oppressed people have to create social change and motivated him to work with marginalized communities.

Upon returning to the Eastside, Orlando began working with youth in different capacities, further cementing his passion for community-oriented work. He is now the Educational Justice Parent Organizer at InnerCity Struggle and is dedicated to working with his community on the issues that directly affect them while connecting them with the resources they need.

Erika Jimenez
United Students Site Organizer

Gender Pronouns: she, her, hers 

Erika Jimenez grew up in Boyle Heights and attended Roosevelt Highschool. She is a product of InnerCity Struggle’s youth organizing component, United Students, and is returning back to her community as the United Students Site Organizer for her alma mater, Roosevelt High School. She is proud to serve as a mentor for young people as they begin to build their own political conscientiousness.

United Students was an everlasting experience for Erika. It was her involvement with United Students that inspired her to continue organizing in her higher education and post-college career. At a young age, Erika wanted to challenge the influence big money has on politics, inform voters on the importance of voting and why folks need to be civically engaged.

During Erika’s time at California State University East Bay, she majored in political science. There she built her organizing skills further through her involvement with a club called Students for Quality Education (SQE). SQE was dedicated to fighting the tuition increase students were facing in 2017. Ultimately, SQE mission was to return to the California Master Plan, which meant college would be free and/or affordable.

After graduating from college Erika moved back to Los Angeles, where she continued working towards efforts to try to make college more affordable, with a campaign called College for All California. She then interned with the union, Unite Here, who represents workers in the Hospitality industry. Through this work, Erika learned the importance of organizing in the workforce and building worker power to carry out the movement. 

Her organizing journey has lead her back to her community with the desire of organizing young folks, to help develop their leadership skills and provide them with the tools to create the change they want to see in the world.