A big bus pulled up in the Malibu Country Estates subdivision on Saturday and let off a crowd of people who headed directly to one particular residence—the home of Malibu couple Tom and Chloe Botz. Unfurling banners and signs, they stood in front of the property protesting their eviction from a Chinatown apartment complex owned by the Botz couple.
Protesters alleged they had been issued eviction notices after steep rent increases.
In a prepared statement, the tenant’s group said, “Many of us have lived in our homes for almost 30 years and our whole lives are in Chinatown. We’re elderly people with disabilities. And now we’re being evicted because Tom and Chloe Botz want to cash in as Chinatown gentrifies.”
Tom Botz told the LA Times in a recent article that he is, “Simply executing his right to begin earning a full return on his investment.” He believes low-income renters deserve subsidies, and hopes the City of Los Angeles can provide them.
“I’m hoping we can resolve it,” Botz said by phone to the LA Times last week.