San Francisco's Chinatown fighting off gentrification

The "Ellis Act" allows landlords to kick out their tenants if they convert their buildings from apartments to condos.

HERE WE go again!

Today's housing crunch in San Francisco is starting to look a lot like the 1960s and 70s. Back then, the affordable housing movement really hit public consciousness because of  the Battle for the International Hotel, the epic decade-long fight to keep low-rent housing for elderly Filipino and Chinese tenants of the hotel, a centerpiece of what remained of San Francisco's Manilatown.

It looks like gentrification spurred by the high-tech boom in San Francisco is eyeing the Chinatown and North Beach neighborhoods for new rental units for the free-spending Techies who want to live in the city.

But the owners of the Vallejo Emery Apartments learned that these neighborhoods will not go down without a fight from politically connected organized tenant groups who learned valuable lessons from the I-Hotel struggle.

A group of low-income elderly Chinese residents were threatened with eviction from their 32-unit residential hotel (corner of Vallejo and Emery) so that the owner can rent out the 100-square foot rooms to the techies who have plenty of money to burn. The shared kitchen and bathrooms could lend themselves to the communal living desired by the mostly younger would-be renters. 

Google 2 Emery Lane to get an exact location. Its two blocks away from Columbus Avenue lined with coffee shops and Italian eateries and steps away from any kind of Chinese food that you may want. Right across the alley is the North Beach police station so its a relatively safe area. You can see why it might be so appealing to the techies. 

If that wasn't enough, there's a bus stop for those plush techie busses with amenities such as wifi, cushy seats and refreshments. The buses, sponsored by employers like Google and Yahoo, gather the workers living in San Francisco and sweep them down to Silicon Valley without having the stress of navigating busy Highway 101. 

The landlords were closely monitoring their tenants to find lease violations so they can have an excuse to evict tenants. Violations include hanging Chinese New Year decorations in the hallway or hanging laundry out your window.

Unfortunately, San Francisco rents have skyrocketed because of limited number of rental units. These residential hotels like the Vallejo Emery are the last bastions of reasonable rents for those on limited incomes. Chinatown is full of the small hotels located on increasingly valuable property.

Mayor Ed Lee, who worked with Chinatown tenants in the 1980s with the Asian Law Caucus, made it clear where he stood. He reminded the apartment owners that the city has provided $13.3 million for eviction defense. The Chinatown Community Development Center, which organized the tenants' protests, receives some of those funds.

Gentrification has hit all parts of the city especially in the Mission District. Attempts to evict long-time tenants for richer tenants have been met resistance from well-organized community groups like the San Francisco Tenants Union, which knows how to use demonstrations and apply political pressure on elected officials.

RELATED: America's Chinatowns feeling the squeeze

Gentrification is not unique to San Francisco. Throughout the country, increasingly, the only people who can afford to live in America's cities are the uber-rich. The poor working stiffs who may have grown up in the city's neighborhoods, can no longer afford to live in the city homes.

The Vallejo Emery Apartments is a harbinger of what's likely to come. The majority of Chinatown's housing stock are made up of these small residential hotels that could follow the same path to higher rents. 

If the city doesn't do something to preserve the low-rent housing, soon the city will be made up of only those who can afford it. 

Families with children are among those forced to leave. Schools, houses of worship and the institutions that serve families wither. 

Low-income workers are particularly hard hit. If they leave the city for the suburbs, they will have to commute to the city to wait on tables, brew lattes, work retail, drive cabs, fill potholes, replace the plumbing, police the streets, teach the students and do all the work that allows the city to function. That - in turn - leads to more traffic jams, more pollution, more stress and ... a city without a soul.

I-HOTEL POSTSCRIPT: 

After the demolition of the International Hotel in 1977, the lot lay undeveloped - a great big hole in the ground - for over 20 years. That raises the question: why was it so urgent to tear down the building? 

The Manilatown Cultural Center and housing
for seniors has replaced the I-Hotel.

The site was eventually purchased by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. The Archdiocese decided to develop an underground garage, and partnered with International Hotel Senior Housing, Inc. and Chinatown CDC to develop senior housing above. Another partner, St. Mary’s Chinese Catholic School, a Chinatown institution, built a school on the remainder of the site. 

The site where the International Hotel used to stand now - appropriately - provides 15 stories of senior affordable housing with many amenities for residents including a daily nutrition/activities program and a ground floor Cultural Center operated by the Manilatown Heritage Foundation. The few former tenants who survived the whole ordeal were given priority for residency.

The building features design elements and art depicting the history and legacy of the I-Hotel struggle. If you're touring San Francisco and want a glimpse of it's Asian American history, this is definitely worth a stop. They even offer small-group walking tours of what used to be Manilatown.

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