I’m aware you dealt with a pretty traumatizing eviction this past year. I want to ask you questions about that but first, for readers, let me ask some basic questions about you as a person. Who are you?
I am Mariella, a savvy professional with 20+ years of experience.
Where are you from?
Was born and raised in Greece, lived in Athens, and spent all my summers on the island of Corfu.
How did you end up in Santa Barbara?
Met my husband (a touring musician from Los Angeles) in Athens Greece, he proposed and we moved to Santa Barbara, where he grew up.
What’s something interesting about you not many people know?
I speak 5 languages, love talking on radio shows (I talk a lot on Greek radio stations), and love cooking Greek meals for my friends. Am very loyal, and this loyalty has hurt me a lot. Am always treating people the way I would like to be treated, but thus far have been disappointed by the people I helped the most.
What’s your educational and class background?
Studied Business Administration and Macro Economics. My family is in politics. My uncle was Greece’s Prime Minister some years ago.
What do you do for a living?
Believe it or not am trying to find a job, since the apartment complex I lived in for 23 years was sold. I do Proper Operations Procedures / Proactive Management / Property Management / Risk & Fraud Avoidance / Finances /and Translations: Greek,German,English.
Growing up in Greece, what did your parents do for a living?
My grandfather was the first to import forklift trucks to Greece and my father joined the company. This was actually my very first job in 1978. Was writing invoices, translating from and to Greek-German for all clients, was driving around with my dad to do some PR for our loyal clients. Was very interesting and fun.
What do you like and miss about Greece, what do you wish was different about Greece?
I miss the simplicity of life, the true friendships, the fact that people actually care and show it in many ways. Only thing I wish was different is the distance. I really wish I could be there in an hour by car!!!!
How would you compare Greek society vs. American society?
The U.S. holds a very individualistic culture, and Greece definitely does not. Whether it is giving you an extra baklava at the coffee shop or an extra loaf of bread at the bakery, people are accommodating, friendly, and make every place feel like home even to a stranger.
How does the housing system work in Greece? Is it easy or hard to buy a house? Is there rent control and strong tenant protections? What is similar vs different between how it is here in the U.S. as opposed to Greece?
Most Greeks own their homes. With 300 thousand you can buy a 1620 square foot home. Rents are very logical. In Athens, or Thessaloniki a 500 Euro per month rent is very normal. On very popular islands like Mykonos, rents are higher (1,500 Euros). Nothing like here.
If you make 2,000 per month, you live! You actually live. If you make 2,000 here, you are pretty much homeless!
How long were you living in the building you were evicted from? How many units was the building in total?
We have been living at that property since 1999, a total of 23 years. This was our home. 13 years I was the property manager.
Can you describe how the transition happened from the old landlord to the new landlord?
Our original landlord unfortunately passed away in 2020 from Alzheimer’s. His son came in from Michigan and sold everything within 5 months of his father’s passing. The new landlords took over in 2021.
I remember when you first contacted us we recommended that you and others in the building try to form a tenant association, have some collective meetings, come up with a collective plan. What were the obstacles in the way of developing a collective plan to defend against an eventual eviction?
Everyone was really frightened to lose their homes, if they joined any plan. We are talking about tenants that had been living there for over 10 years each.
Has everyone been evicted from that building or are some still remaining? What was the process of how people ended up evicted?
Not everyone has been evicted from what I know. Personally, I received a phone call from the owner asking me to vacate. I then emailed him asking for everything in writing. Others have received a letter with a 90-day notice.
How long was it between when new owners took over, and when you first got evicted?
They took over May 1, 2021 and I received the eviction notice on October 26, 2022.
Do you know if the landlord engaged in the eviction process legally or did they break any laws in the process (to your knowledge)?
They did what most landlords do lately. Hide behind major renovations laws, and succeed. All they want is to quadruple the income in their pockets.
How knowledgeable were you about your legal rights as a tenant in this situation as the process unfolded?
Having been the property manager there for 13 years, and knowing laws and regulations, whatever I demanded in writing, I received. They had no chance with me.
How aware of their rights do you think your neighbors were in the building?
I am not really sure. The latest tenant being evicted is a veteran with severe PTSD, and his mom is trying to figure out what to do. He is really unstable and of course nobody could care less.
How did the eviction impact you financially and in terms of personal well-being (ie, physical and mental health). Is it still affecting you in any ways?
Financially it’s brutal. We are paying now $4,000 per month, for a place that has many less amenities, no yard, and we had to surrender our older dog, because of the stairs in this new place. To be brutally honest, this has been an emotional roller coaster.
Why did the new landlords evict you and other tenants?
They want to do “major upgrades”, which I don’t get. Honestly. There was absolutely nothing wrong in any of the units, they were making money. Greed rules. Property taxes are the same, utilities are the same. Owners make more and more from people who make less and less because we are obliged to pay more on housing, groceries, gas, utilities, and the list goes on!
My grandfather used to say: The greedy people are going to die as we all will. Apparently they believe that their coffins will be nicer than ours, because EVERYTHING is left behind when you die.
What needs to be done to prevent evictions like this in Santa Barbara and elsewhere (ie, changes in laws, politics, consciousness)?
A LOT needs to be done! 1. Start realizing that every tenant is a human being and not a dollar sign. 2. Sign new laws. 3. Politicians STOP being afraid of the millionaires and do something.
What message do you have for tenants reading this?
Let’s stick together and hold all the landlords responsible. They will realize at some point that without us, they have no business to run, no income to gain.
Anything else you wanna say?
I want to thank SBTU for this major initiative, and want to find a way to make tenants feel secure and not afraid to join forces here. We are always stronger together!!!!
Tell Your Tenant Story!
We want to hear your experiences of struggle and success! Have you ever been harassed, intimidated, or mistreated by your landlord—or been pushed out of your home by a “soft eviction” or “renoviction” (renovation-based eviction)? Are you struggling to find affordable housing in this town? We want to hear your story!
Why? Whether shared anonymously or by you directly, this can be a great way to help elevate the shared struggles we face as renters as we keep organizing tenant power and push for more just housing in our region!
Please contact us to set up a time to share about your experience. It can be quick and it makes a difference! Contact Us at [email protected]