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Tenants tell El Segundo council they face mass evictions; city attorney and staff point to county/state remedies
Summary
Several tenants of a 23‑unit El Segundo apartment building told the City Council on March 4 they face eviction after the property’s sale and alleged the new owner is seeking to use a substantial‑remodel strategy to replace tenants with higher‑rent occupants.
Several tenants and neighbors of a 23‑unit apartment building in El Segundo asked the City Council on March 4 for help after receiving termination notices following a November sale of their building.
Susie Escobedo spoke during public comment and said the building was sold on Nov. 15, 2024, and that the new owners, identified in her remarks as “Brian Bollinger and Patricia Padilla from BD Management,” served 60‑day notices of termination and have offered some tenants relocation payments while beginning demolition work. “We are being evicted from our homes by the new owner,” Escobedo said, and she described long‑term residents, seniors and tenants with health needs who fear losing their homes.
Neighbor Sandy Vandenberg said the same company had followed this pattern at several El Segundo properties and said long‑term residents, including a 91‑year‑old neighbor, were being pressured to leave.
City Attorney (on the record as City Attorney) told the council the city does not have local rent control or tenant protection ordinances that would directly prevent the evictions. He said state law passed in 2019 imposes some limits on evictions and rent increases and advised tenants to consult legal counsel or legal‑aid organizations for potential remedies. The City Attorney said: “The city itself has no specific, rent control or tenant control measures.”
Building official Michael Allen told attendees the city would check permit records for the property and follow up with residents. Allen said there were multiple active permits associated with the complex and that each unit often requires a separate permit; he offered to provide contacts and permit information to the tenants and to post available tenant‑assistance resources.
Council members pointed residents to county resources and legal assistance: one council member noted that the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs provides tenant services and another said the county supervisor’s office (Supervisor Holly Mitchell) maintains tenant‑protection resources. Council members thanked residents for bringing the matter to the council’s attention and urged individuals to pursue county or private legal avenues.
No formal council action or ordinance was introduced on March 4. Staff said they would follow up with the tenants about permit status and would forward links to tenant‑advocacy resources that had previously been available on the city website.
Clarifying details recorded at the meeting: staff confirmed there are active building permits for the complex and that the permits visible in the system did not immediately show the detailed “substantial remodel” drawings Escobedo said are required under the city’s substantial‑remodel rules. Allen said he would investigate and provide contact information to the tenants.
