The 729 Yale Fight
Building together to move toward community ownership
The Story of 729 Yale Street
In 2024, the residents of 729 Yale Street– a rent-stabilized, seven-unit, apartment building– were served an eviction notice to position the building for sale. These residents are community members: children, families, seniors who have lived in the building for decades, attend local schools and are part of local organizations.
Although 729 Yale St. tenants and community organizers successfully pushed against the landlord to stop the evictions, there is no law that prevents landlords from attempting to evict tenants again.
The struggle at 729 Yale Street reflects a broader pattern of corporate landlords across Chinatown routinely evicting tenants to maximize profit. These local battles take place against a backdrop of an increasingly hostile environment for immigrants, a deepening affordability crisis, and crumbling social safety net–all of which place Chinatown’s long-time community members at greater risk of eviction and displacement.
We can’t go on with business as usual. We need a permanent solution that takes housing out of the speculative market and puts it into community hands–and we need it now.
The solution
Members of the Chinatown community, supporters, and allies have come together to develop the Chinatown Community Land Trust.
Community Land Trusts (CLTs) offer an important housing alternative to the profiteering and predatory real estate and development industry today. The LA Chinatown CLT, for example, commits to:
Remaining permanently affordable: CLTs are required to keep properties affordable in perpetuity— a stark contrast from California law requiring most new affordable housing to only remain affordable for 55 years;
Be democratically governed: The LACCLT is a membership organization of more than 50 community members who vote on what the CLT does, and how it is done. Additionally, LACCLT centers tenant voices by requiring lessee and community representatives on its Board of Directors;
Is community-owned: CLTs are required to take land out of private hands and place it under community ownership, where it’s maintained for the public good.
Over the past few years, the LACCLT, in conjunction with grassroots housing and political organization Chinatown Community for Equitable Development, has organized and developed relationships with 729 Yale residents.
How you can support our land and housing justice framework
Building permanent community ownership is an enormous group effort: these changes do not happen in a vacuum. We need everyone–including community members, organizers, researchers, policy analysts, and donors–to support the CLT and Chinatown by funding the acquisition and rehabilitation of the buildings the community wishes to acquire.
Funders and donors are essential parts of LACCLT’s network— part of how money gets funneled appropriately back into the communities.
As such, the LACCLT asks you to join us in keeping the Chinatown neighborhood permanently housed, and to stand against the gentrification and displacement in ways otherwise inaccessible to them.