A landlord’s decision to remove parking spaces to make way for five accessory dwelling units (ADUs) is drawing ire from the tenants who would be forced to park elsewhere.
The building is located on the corner of 5th Street and Kingsley Drive in Koreatown, a neighborhood known for its lack of parking, which only heightens the concern for tenants.
A report from the L.A. Times indicates that the owner of the 22-unit building has received all necessary approvals to move forward with construction. It was expected to start late last month, but as of Tuesday had not.
One woman who lives in the building told the Times that tenants were not even notified of the plans; instead, they found them online before they were announced.
“They actually never officially notified us of the construction…” Megan Thomas Bradner, who has resided there for over a decade, said. “All it said was, ‘you have no parking as of this day’.”
Faced with the removal of essential parking spots, some residents have staged a sit-down protest with a plastic table and outdoor chairs occupying some of the parking spaces. Additionally, a banner reading “Say goodbye to your parking spot” was seen draped over a car parked in one of the spots that, in the future, could be someone’s home.
California law states that, if a tenant exercises their rights, the landlord is not allowed to “take away services or rights that the tenant previously enjoyed, like a storage space or parking,” but a landlord can remove or no longer offer services that are normally available if there is “just cause.”
According to legal experts, examples of “just cause” include government regulations, property renovations and lease violations.
Tenants are expected to continue their protests on Tuesday; KTLA was not able to reach any of them for comment right away.
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