Soto Files Lawsuit Against Airbnb Alleging Price Gouging
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced on Friday that her office has filed a civil enforcement action against Airbnb, alleging the home-renting platform violated the state’s Anti-Gouging Law in the wake of the January wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
This law’s protections came into effect on January 7 after Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles resulting from the wildfires. The law prohibits the prices of essential goods and services—including rental housing—from being increased by more than 10% after an emergency is declared.
According to the lawsuit allegations, Airbnb increased rental prices by at least $2,000, possibly over $3,000, within the City of Los Angeles.
“It’s unconscionable that Airbnb permitted prices to be jacked up on thousands of rental properties at a time when so many people lost so much and needed a place to sleep,” said Soto.
“Although Airbnb subsequently took steps to curtail price gouging, evidence indicates that illegal gouging on the site continues and may be ongoing. This lawsuit sends a clear message that we will not allow people, particularly at their most vulnerable moments, to be exploited without consequences.”
Durazo praises reallocation of funds for affordable home purchases
State Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-East Hollywood, East Los Angeles, Highland Park, Los Angeles, Pico-Union, South Montebello, Vernon) on Friday praised the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) Board of Directors for unanimously approving the reallocation of $5.4 million in uncommitted funds to support the State Route 710 Affordable Sales Program (SR-710 ASP).
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is inviting Housing-Related Entities (HREs) to purchase Caltrans-owned homes along the State Route 710 corridor in Pasadena, South Pasadena, and the El Sereno neighborhood in Los Angeles to provide affordable housing.
The funding reallocation comes as demand for the SR-710 program has exceeded original projections.
“This unanimous vote represents a commitment to ensuring that affordable homeownership remains within reach for families in our communities,” said Durazo. “The SR-710 program transforms what was once a stalled freeway project into real opportunities for families to build wealth and stability through homeownership.”
CalHFA has already preapproved 77 borrowers for nearly $10 million in loans, with an estimated additional 81 borrowers requiring approximately $10.6 million more in financing. The reallocated funds will help bridge this gap and ensure the program can serve more eligible families.
Gomez blasts Fed cuts to NPR and PBS
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Koreatown, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock) last week voted to protect federal funding for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, while blasting the recently passed ‘big, beautiful’ federal spending and cutting bill as a handout to billionaires and a punch in the gut to working families and children.
“When I was growing up, my family couldn’t afford cable, so we relied on public broadcasting for education, news, weather forecasts, public safety announcements, and emergency alerts. Now, as a dad to a two-year-old, I watch PBS programs like Sesame Street, The Cat in the Hat, and Daniel Tiger with my son. The same public service that helped raise me is now helping raise him,” said Gomez.
“But Republicans moved forward with these cuts to free up federal dollars for their ‘Big Billionaire Bill,’ which hands massive tax breaks to the richest corporations and individuals. While the ultrawealthy and top corporations get tax breaks for yachts and bonuses, millions of kids in rural and working-class communities are losing Sesame Street.
“This bill also guts humanitarian aid, ripping away food from starving children, medicine from disease zones, and hope from families fleeing war, which undermines America’s global leadership in responding to global crises.
“Even though we’re outnumbered in the House, I’ll keep fighting to make sure that public money is used to help people who actually need it — not handed out as giveaways to billionaires.”
Waters Introduces bill to increase breast cancer treatment and awareness
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lomita) last week introduced the Medicaid Breast Cancer Access to Treatment Act (H.R.4543) and the Medicare Breast Reconstruction Access and Information Act (H.R.4545) in the House of Representatives yesterday.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States (except for skin cancers), accounting for about 30 percent of cancer diagnoses among women each year. While breast cancer death rates are down 44 percent since the 1980’s as a result of improvements in awareness, screening, and treatment, breast cancer still remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women (after lung cancer), and there are persistent disparities in access to care and treatment.
For example, black women have the highest death rate from breast cancer and are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women. Furthermore, many breast cancer patients are unaware of the full scope of breast reconstruction options available to them prior to undergoing a mastectomy, and many low-income patients have no access to breast reconstruction services.
“I am deeply concerned about the tragic and unacceptable disparities related to breast cancer,” said Waters. “That is why I introduced the Medicaid Breast Cancer Access to Treatment Act, which requires state Medicaid programs throughout the United States to cover breast and cervical cancer treatment services for low-income patients without cost sharing. The bill also requires state Medicaid programs to cover breast reconstruction following a medically necessary mastectomy.”
Waters said she has heard from breast cancer survivors in her district and across the country who were not fully informed about their breast reconstruction options prior to undergoing a mastectomy.
“The Medicare Breast Reconstruction Access and Information Act addresses this issue by requiring doctors who perform mastectomies for Medicare patients to inform them that Medicare covers breast reconstruction following a medically necessary mastectomy,” she said.
