ATU General Meeting April 2nd 7:00pm

Dear Neighbors,

Two items for your attention this weekend: ATU is holding our first general meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7pm (online), and an update on the brave organizing and actions taken by the residents of the apartment building at 403 Figueroa Dr.

Also, in the category of “for whatever it’s worth”: you might be feeling really tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, and just fully frustrated and angry with the whole situation right now. That is AN ENTIRELY REASONABLE way to feel. Of course you do! This is a horrible and exhausting situation! And just so you know, there are hundreds of other renters across Altadena who feel exactly the same way you do. It can feel very isolating to go through this, particularly since all of us are scattered to the four winds, but you are not alone.

ATU GENERAL MEETING | WED. APRIL 2, 7:00PM

No matter where you are right now, you are part of the Altadena community, and your experience is important. For our first general meeting, we wanted to give folks a chance to share about what their experiences have been, and to build our bonds of community. We are neighbors helping neighbors, and it’s much more challenging when we can’t see each other on the stairs or at the grocery store, so this is an imperfect but hopefully useful effort to stay connected.

The meeting will be on Zoom, and we are asking folks to register ahead of time - feel free to share the link or this email with any other tenants or neighbors who would like to join. Here’s how the meeting will go:

GENERAL MEETING AGENDA

1. Welcome + Introductions (10 mins)

2. What is a tenants union (and what do they do) , why is our situation in Altadena unique, and how can you get involved? (10 mins)

3. What do you need and what would be helpful right now? (5 mins)

4. Share your experience as a renter in Altadena post-fire (30 mins)

5. Where we go from here & wrap up (5 mins)

BRAVE ACTION BY NEIGHBORS AT 403 FIGUEROA

Like many others in Altadena, the residents at the apartments at 403 Figueroa Dr. have had an absolutely abysmal response from their landlords and property management company (Regency Management Company). Folks are essentially camping out in unsafe living conditions, with no gas or electrical service, broken windows, and no remediation or cleaning in sight. Children, seniors, and folks with health challenges have nowhere else to go, and three months after the fires, nothing has been done.

This week, residents at 403 Figueroa formed their own tenants association (the Comité de Inquilinos 403) and held a press conference to draw attention to these unacceptable conditions. They demanded:

We stand in complete solidarity with our neighbors at 403 Figueroa, and lift up their story and their work. They shouldn’t have to fight so hard for the bare minimum, for landlords to uphold basic legal obligations and standards of care, but as many of us know all too well, unfortunately that’s the reality. Their organizing is inspiring and we salute them!

Read more about this action at Pasadena Now or the LA Times (paywalled out? try pasting the URL into https://12ft.io/).

ATU Resource Guide

Have questions or need contact info for county agencies or legal assistance? We’ve collected everything we’ve learned into the Altadena Tenants Union Resource Guide, a living document that we’re updating on a regular basis.