[su_heading size=”40″ align=”left”]Dark Hour for Sunrise[\/su_heading]<\/p>\n
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<\/b>When Alba Guerra\u2019s new landlord broke the news to her that her monthly rent would increase by $3,000, she could only think to turn to her community for help.<\/p>\n
Guerra, who owns Sunrise Restaurant\u2014a Salvadoran eatery located at 3126 24th St.\u2014wrote a Facebook post on the evening of Feb. 14, pleading for the Mission community\u2019s support in the wake of her substantial rent hike.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately after 13 years of service to the community the new landlord has increased my rent by $3,000 per month which means now that I\u2019m going to have to pay $7,800 per month starting April 1st,\u201d Guerra wrote. \u201cThis happens because there is no control on the rent making smaller businesses disappear due to the fact that they couldn\u2019t pay the massive rent.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Guerra moved in 13 years ago, she paid $4,000 a month. But when Guerra resigned her lease in 2013, her rent was raised to $4,800. Guerra\u2019s new landlord, Andrew On Tak Kong, purchased the building located between Folsom and Shotwell streets in March 2014.<\/p>\n
And on Feb. 10, 2018, while at work and as her lease was set to expire, Kong handed Guerra a contract for a renewal of the lease, listing the new rent at $7,800 a month.<\/p>\n
Guerra, who celebrated her 50th birthday on Feb. 16, was stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to sign, and I told him, \u2018I\u2019m not going to sign, because I don\u2019t know if I can afford this.\u2019 He said, \u2018Yes you can, raise the menu prices,\u2019\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n
Guerra turned to Diana Ponce de Leon, project manager for the Invest In Neighborhoods program in the Mayor\u2019s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. And soon after her Facebook post, word of her potential displacement spurred her community to take action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe news of this rent increase has spread community wide, and people are ready to come out and protect these cultural assets,\u201d said Erick Arguello, president and cofounder of Calle 24. \u201cWe\u2019re really going to put our foot down with this one, because this is what we\u2019re trying to do\u2014protect these small businesses against these rent increases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arguello wrote a letter to Kong asking him to reconsider the rent increase or to at least negotiate. Arguello also sent copies of the letter to District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronan, Ponce De Leon, Mission Economic Development Association (MEDA), United to Save the Mission and Our Mission No Eviction.<\/p>\n
Arguello also said that Calle 24 is currently working on getting Guerra an attorney through the Mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cTruthfully, I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen. If they\u2019re going to negotiate and lower the rent, great. If not, I\u2019m still going to fight,\u201d Guerra said. \u201cThis space isn\u2019t just mine, it isn\u2019t just my business. People know that when this business opened, it was a space for the community. If this restaurant closes, we won\u2019t be able to give back to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Near the register, Guerra proudly displays half a dozen awards, ranging from being recognized for her community service, to neighborhood business awards. She\u2019s periodically held fundraisers and events at her restaurant, at times donating 20 percent of her proceeds.<\/p>\n
But being located on 24th Street for more than a decade, Guerra has witnessed substantial change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe small businesses are disappearing from here,\u201d she said. \u201cHere on 24th Street, we\u2019re the only Salvadoran restaurant that has survived. I\u2019m really worried. I have kids, employees that depend on me. Say if nothing happens and I agree to pay this rent, the neighbor will be next. Everybody else will have to pay what I\u2019m paying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerra said she\u2019s steadily raised the menu prices over the years, but worries that she\u2019ll have to once again, something she fears her costumers won\u2019t like. \u201cI have to increase the prices now. It\u2019s something I\u2019m going to try, but I don\u2019t know how my clients will take that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerra left her homeland of El Salvador for the United States 30 years ago, and routinely worked in restaurants. \u201cLike anyone else, I had a dream,\u201d she said. \u201cMy dream was to have my own business. And to not be treated like I was treated at my other jobs. A healthy environment for my employees. We see ourselves as family. We\u2019re a family restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerra\u2019s husband purchases the materials and does maintenance, while her sons\u2014one who studies at U.C. Santa Cruz and the other who attends June Jordan School For Equity\u2014help with dishes and paperwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to fight,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not going out easily. I\u2019m not giving up.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of press time Kong couldn\u2019t be reached for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[su_heading size=”40″ align=”left”]Dark Hour for Sunrise[\/su_heading] [su_carousel source=”media: 37001,37002,37003,37005,37006,37007,37008,37010,37011,37012,37013,37014″ limit=”65″ link=”lightbox” target=”blank” width=”800″ height=”540″ responsive=”no” items=”1″][su_carousel limit=”65″ link=”lightbox” target=”blank” width=”800″ height=”540″ responsive=”no” items=”1″] [\/su_carousel] When Alba Guerra\u2019s new landlord broke the news to her that her monthly rent would increase by $3,000, she could only think to turn to her community for help. Guerra, who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":37006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3929],"tags":[16096,16098,5589,4715,7541,14140],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-37000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-alba-guerra","tag-andrew-on-tak-kong","tag-calle-24-en","tag-el-salvador-en","tag-erick-arguello-en","tag-sunrise-restaurant-en","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n