Bizarre Twin Peaks Tenant Revolt Escalates

The fight at 3450 Market St. in San Francisco’s Twin Peaks area has turned a seven-unit apartment building into a long-running test of tenant organizing, rent-control leverage and landlord oversight. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on August 5 that five occupied units in the building have been withholding rent for 32 months, with tenants saying the total now exceeds $400,000. The dispute began after Laura Lee took over the property about three years ago, according to the Chronicle. Lee, speaking by phone from Taiwan, denied trying to push tenants out and said the renters were trying to “take it over.” ### Why did tenants at 3450 Market say the conflict started? Laura Lee became the new owner about three years ago, and tenants told the Chronicle that conditions changed within weeks. They said Lee reduced trash service, ended free cable and asked residents to sign new leases even though, under San Francisco law, they said they were not required to do so. The Chronicle reported that Lee warned failure to sign could lead to “just cause” evictions. (yahoo.com) The building at 3450 Market St. had long housed tenants in rent-controlled units with views, garage parking and, until the ownership change, what residents described as a relatively hands-off arrangement. Tenants told the Chronicle they feared the changes were meant to force them out so rents could be reset or the property sold vacant at a higher value. That motive is the tenants’ view; Lee denied wrongdoing in the Chronicle interview. (yahoo.com) ### How large is the rent strike, and why does that matter in this case? The Chronicle said the rent strike has run for 32 months and involved more than $400,000 in withheld rent. That figure is the clearest measure of how long the standoff has lasted and how little the two sides have resolved. San Francisco tenant organizers have increasingly used rent strikes as a pressure tactic, particularly after the city’s 2022 “Union-at-Home” ordinance gave tenant associations a formal path to demand bargaining. (yahoo.com) El Tecolote reported this year that organizers see the law as a tool to force negotiations over repairs, refunds and conditions. The 3450 Market dispute fits that broader pattern, though the particulars of this building remain highly specific to the parties involved. ### What has happened in court? San Francisco Superior Court’s online system shows civil case records are publicly searchable, and third-party court trackers list several 2024 cases tied to tenants from 3450 Market and Laura Lei or Lee. UniCourt shows Farrah Sani et al. filed a wrongful eviction case on April 17, 2024, while Christopher Lee and Gil Doron filed separate real-property cases on July 18 and July 22, 2024. (eltecolote.org) Those docket entries do not, by themselves, establish the merits of the claims. But they do confirm that the building fight moved beyond tenant complaints and into formal litigation in 2024. ### Who is the landlord, and what is known about the property? The property at 3450 Market St. is a seven-unit apartment building in Twin Peaks, according to property data surfaced in reporting and real-estate records. (sf.courts.ca.gov) PropertyShark lists the building as a 1974 structure with 12,071 square feet and shows a 2023 sale date with a price of $3.266 million. (unicourt.com) The Chronicle described Lee as the managing member of the limited liability company that bought the building. In its August 5 report, the newspaper also said tenants later learned Lee had faced other wrongful eviction lawsuits and allegations of forgery and criminal conduct. Lee told the Chronicle she “didn’t do anything” and accused tenants of lying, threatening her and causing many of the problems they described. (propertyshark.com) ### What happens next for the tenants and landlord? The next phase is likely to remain in court and in administrative channels rather than on the sidewalk. San Francisco Superior Court says civil and unlawful detainer records can be tracked through its online case systems, and the tenant-organized website for 3450 Market says residents have been challenging eviction efforts with legal counsel and the Rent Board. (yahoo.com) For now, the named parties to watch are Laura Lee, also listed in some court records as Laura Lei, and the tenants who have already filed cases in San Francisco Superior Court. Any new hearing dates, rulings or settlement steps are most likely to appear first in those court records. (unicourt.com) (sf.courts.ca.gov)