Thelma Smith, who is 102 years old, is being evicted from the home in Ladera Heights, Calif., where she has lived for almost 30 years, to make room for the landlordโs daughter.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, Smith, who used to be an executive secretary for the nonprofit Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation, was told in an official notice March 8 that she must end her monthly lease because her landlordโs daughter was graduating from law school and โthe dwelling is needed as her principal place of residence.โ
Los Angelesโ Rent Stabilization Ordinance gives a landlord the legal right to evict a tenant so that an โeligible family memberโโan immediate family memberโcan live there. Still, in an effort to protect long-term residents, especially those who pay little in rent, the regulation also states that in buildings with similar units, as in number of bedrooms, the landlord โmay recover possession of a rental unit only from a tenant who is the most recent tenant to occupy a rental unit in the building.โ
Smithโs friend Pauline Cooper, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1999, said that Smith has โbeen there a thousand years and is paying very low rent,โ the Los Angeles Times reports. Cooper also said that she knows of at least one person who has left the housing complex within the last year, although she is unsure if the unit is still vacant.
Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, said: โItโs pretty outrageous and heartless to be evicting this woman. It just shows a perfect example of how tenants without strong rent-controlled protections are vulnerable to displacement and injustices.โ
Cooper has told Smith she could have one of her bedrooms, according to the Los Angeles Times, but understandably, Smith wants to stay where she is. Sheโs been called โspryโ by those who know her, reports the Times, but this is no mere minor disruption to Smithโs life.
โRight now itโs the unknown thatโs bothering her as far relocating her to new places,โ Antonio Avelino, a family friend, told CBSLA. โShe couldnโt afford it; she would need some assistance from county and other friends to support her in these places.โ An assisted living facility, for example, would be difficult for her to afford on her fixed income.
As is often the case with those whoโve reached centenarian age, Smith, who is a widow, has also lost most of her immediate family, although she has some relatives on the East Coast, according to CBSLA.
As noted by the Times, โ[as] part of the cityโs Rent Stabilization Ordinance, relocation assistance is available for evicted tenants in L.A. who are 62 or older, are handicapped or disabled. But elsewhere in Los Angeles County, thereโs no such help.โ
โThe only thing I can say is that Iโve tried to live a good life,โ Smith told CBSLA. โI never wanted to harm anybody.โ
When CBSLAโs reporter asked the landlord, โWe know legally you can make her leave, but 102? Would you kick out a 102-year-old woman?โ he responded: โWould you take care of your child?โ
Smith has until June 30 to vacate the property.
Correction: Sept. 16, 2019, 5:49 p.m. ET: This article has been edited to correct the spelling of Larry Grossโ name and the misattribution of a quote. It has also been edited to remove unattributed text and add fuller sourcing.
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