Media contact: Lauren Nguyen, media@asianlawcaucus.org
Chinatown Tenants Organize Tenant Association to Fight Evictions from Decades-long Home
SAN FRANCISCO – This week, long-time tenants of the apartment building at 1120 Jackson have formed a tenant association to fight unfair eviction threats and harassment. On Monday, the association held a rally in front of the building with housing advocates and tenant allies in attendance. Members of the association facing evictions include elders who have lived in their building for decades and before receiving nuisance eviction notices in early March, have never received a complaint from their neighbors.
The tenants have united into an association at a time when rents across the city have increased by 22%. The housing market crunch is widely attributed to corporate building takeovers and the rise of AI companies. The investor group landlord, Nabob Hill LLC, purchased the building in July 2025. Since then, tenants, many of whom primarily speak Chinese, have reported issues of access to the building and sparse English-only written and verbal communication.
Property management for the building has conducted multiple inspections of tenant units in the past several months. In April, Nabob Hill LLC stopped accepting rent from a number of units in the building who had received eviction notices, adding to tenant fears of imminent displacement. Sue Yeng Yan, a 92 year-old woman and former caregiver, has lived in her unit for more than 40 years and was one of the tenants whose rent was not accepted. Physically disabled, Ms. Yan’s physical and mental health have suffered from stress after receiving an eviction notice.
“The tenants have lived here happily and peacefully. We have helped each other when needed, our kids have played with each other while growing up here,” said Kin Wong, tenant of 35 years and son-in-law to Ms. Yan. “Our senior tenants can not be harassed and bullied by this investment group. We have formed a tenant association to help our seniors speak up and protect their rights. They deserve respect and protection.”
The tenants demand a stop to the evictions after the landlord proceeded to file a case against one of their neighbors, Kit Ying Mak. Ms. Mak is the primary caregiver for her disabled mother, who has lived in the building since 2002. “My family cannot afford for my mom to get evicted in her condition. These inspections feel like harassment, and all the while I have not received any communication on what more I can do,” said Ms. Mak. “Forming this tenant association helped me understand that we have power in numbers. We don’t have to do this alone.”
Shelby Nacino, Asian Law Caucus housing director and legal representative for the tenants, said, “We’re here to make clear that long-term tenants — including seniors, immigrants, and tenants who are limited English proficient — deserve respect and adequate communication. Homes are not commodities that exist solely to maximize profit for investors and landlords. We at the Asian Law Caucus are not going to let our seniors and our working families be forced out of their homes.”
“In San Francisco, evictions are up 25% over the last 2 years, and city-wide about 22% of the tenants being evicted are seniors. With San Francisco’s soaring rents, if the seniors lose their current housing – there is no affordable, replacement housing,” said Laura Chiera, executive director and managing attorney at Legal Assistance to the Elderly. “These seniors have spent a lifetime contributing to and building San Francisco to be the city we love. They have a right to age, in peace and dignity in their homes and in this city.”