[dropcap size=big]S[/dropcap]hao Zhao grew up moving all over L.A. County with her mom. First they lived on the Eastside, then in South Bay, and by 2007 they hoped to make a home for good in an apartment complex off West Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Chinatown called Hillside Villa.
Hillside was built in 1988 with funds from what was then called the Community Redevelopment Agency. This allowed for the apartment complex’s 124 units to be set at affordable, with below-market rents. Zhao’s mother, who speaks only Cantonese, was able to build a home at Hillside through a Section 8 voucher, which allows recipients to only have to cover 30 percent of their rent.
Upkeep of their apartment was rare, but at least they had a home. “Lots of people are willing to take the most unlivable units just to be able to live,” Zhao told L.A. Taco.
But in December of 2018, as luxury apartments, art galleries, and hip coffee shops were continuing to spring up throughout Chinatown, Hillside’s 30-year affordability covenant ended, leaving the Hillside Villa vulnerable to the whims of L.A.’s ruthless housing market. Almost immediately, the Hillside Villa landlord Thomas Botz threatened to raise rents to market.
'I’m doing this for my mom.'