1: A Ticking Time Bomb

Welcome to Hillside Villa, an apartment complex overlooking Chinatown where the rent stayed affordable while the rest of the neighborhood changed around it. For decades, it was a place where working-class Angelenos could raise their kids and live in community with their neighbors. And then, one day in 2018, all that was threatened. Because their landlord served the tenants with rent increases that were basically eviction notices.

 

Note: At the start of this episode, we incorrectly identified the receptacle used for the tenants' action as a trash can. It's actually a special bin used to burn offerings. We have updated the episode to reflect that correction.