On the sixth floor of the Mid-City Community Clinic in City Heights, organizers, activists and community members gathered for a panel held by the San Diego Tenants Union. The panel took place Nov. 7 in light of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of Assembly Bill 1482. The bill imposes a rent increase cap of 5 percent (after inflation) starting in January 2020.

Throughout the event, organizers of the panel urged for people in San Diego to fight for more. Panelists shared stories of evictions, rent hikes, intimidation by landlords, and a lack of affordable housing. The panel included members of the San Diego Tenants Union along with Tenants Together, Service Employees International Union 221, Local Initiatives Support Corporation San Diego, and Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. Panelists spoke both English and Spanish for a diverse and large audience.

Liberation News sat down with SEIU 221 member and SDTU organizer Avery Wear to illuminate the struggle for affordable housing in San Diego.

Liberation News: How did you get involved with SDTU?

Avery Wear: Before the tenants union, in 2015, there was a campaign for a socialist for City Council in San Diego. In the course of that campaign, we led a movement to defend a woman whose landlord refused to clean up roaches. We brought a big crowd, and I was involved with that because I was involved with the City Council campaign. That was my first connection to it.

LN: What pushed you to join SDTU?