City wins suit against defunct landlord

In San Francisco, keeping an apartment can be tough, but finding an affordable one in the first place can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. A very expensive haystack.

In many cases, even when you find that rental, life can be a nightmare. The tenants of CitiApartments in San Francisco know that all too well.

CitiApartments, owned by the Lembi family of San Francisco, started buying up large numbers of buildings around the city in 2003. By 2007, the company owned more than 300 buildings in the City, 6500 apartment units.

CitiApartments tenants had their issues. Many complained of harassment by the company, including intimidation-tactics to leave rent controlled units, utility shut-offs, and illegal entry. In 2006, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit against CitiApartments  claiming an "egregious pattern of illegal business practices."

Just this week, nearly 4 years later, Herrera announced he won the lawsuit. So, what was going on at the now defunct CitiApartments? How did one family manage to own so much of San Francisco? Investigative journalist Danelle Morton spent 18 months reporting on the Lembi family and CitiApartments for San Francisco Magazine. KALW's Hana Baba sat down with Morton and asked her- who are the Lembis?