Despite Golden State officials warning landlords and hotel owners that price gouging will not be tolerated in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, thousands of displaced Californians still fear they will have to fork over up to 50% more for homes similar to those they lost.
Since Jan. 7, when the deadly and devastating Palisades and Eaton blazes first broke out, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued warning letters to more than 200 “unscrupulous” landlords and hoteliers accused by fire victims of jacking up their advertised rental prices by as much as 124% — a clear violation of state statutes.
“The price gouging that we’re seeing and hearing about needs to stop now,” Bonta said in a statement Friday. “We are taking swift action, and we will not stop until the price gouging does.”
As of Saturday, the Eaton Fire had been 73% contained while the Palisades Fire was said to be 43% contained. At least 27 people were killed in the infernos, which destroyed 12,000 structures over more than 60 square miles.
Hospital courier Marcela Banuelos, 24, watched flames engulf the $1,200-a-month studio apartment she rented in Altadena, where she lived with her Doberman, Diabla.
To rent a comparable unit in the Pasadena area, she told The Post she expects she’ll have to pay 30% more because Altadena is more affordable than other nearby neighborhoods.
“My home burned to the ground,” Banuelos said. “I was scared. I was by myself — just me and my dog. Diabla was tripping out, too, because it was dark, and you could hear explosions. It was hell.”
Banuelos said she was told she could move into her friend’s father’s studio apartment, which is available in Pasadena.
“They’ve been raising rents all around Pasadena an insane amount,” she said. “If you want to stay close to Altadena, you’re going to pay an extra 33%. I could end up paying nearly double what I was paying here for the same sort of apartment.
“I don’t want to go somewhere that feels foreign to me,” she added. “I could afford to pay more rent, but I wouldn’t live comfortably. I would be working way more than I already do.”
Sprocket machinist Jacinto De La Torre, 64, also lost his rental home in Altadena and also worries he’s going to have to shell out more than 50% more to find an equivalent abode.
“It was a two-bedroom house that cost $1,600 a month,” he told The Post, fighting back tears as he surveyed the wreckage that was once his home, which he said he paid cash to rent.
He, his wife and three sons, ages 14, 17 and 18, are staying in a motel with their “very sweet” German shepherd, Bella.
“I’m going to have to pay a lot more to rent something similar. To rent another two-bedroom house around here is probably going to cost $2,500 now,” De La Torre said.
“I’m worried it will be hard to find somewhere to rent that I can afford.”
Neither De Le Torre or Banuelos had renter’s insurance, they said.
Epi Cruz, 53, has been looking for apartments since the one he had been renting in Altadena was completely decimated by the Eaton Fire.
“We’re open to an apartment, townhome, whatever,” Cruz told The Post Friday. “My insurance policy covers up to $120,000 for renting, and I need that to last as long as possible because I don’t know how long it will take to rebuild. I don’t need anything fancy. A two-bedroom, that’s fine, that’ll work.”
Bonta said his office has opened criminal investigations into alleged price gougers.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect Californians who are looking for a safe place to evacuate, to recuperate and to care for their terrified kids and families,” he said.
