a little on the nose, guys pic.twitter.com/n2sBcMhlOI
— cat ferguson (@biocuriosity) April 12, 2016
If you're like me, you probably did a double take upon seeing the above photo. Depicting an advertisement for Bubble Real Estate, the picture at first comes off as a satirical joke — naming a San Francisco real estate company "bubble" seems like a very specific sort of "F you" to everyone struggling to deal with the Bay Area's soaring home prices. At the very least it's a name choice that belies a lack of taste or forethought. Alas, dear readers, it is no joke. And to make matters even worse, the company, which according to its website copyrighted its name in 2013, was founded by a man known for his penchant for evicting elderly tenants.
In 2011 the Chronicle reported on Bubble Real Estate founder Peter Iskandar's attempt to Ellis Act four senior citizens in order to turn the building in which they lived into tenancies in common units. "I can't even find a place to live because I don't make enough money," 70-year-old lung cancer patient Sandy Bishop, one of the woman Iskandar took to court to evict, told the paper. "Maybe I should just stay and let the sheriff carry me out."
The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project lists Iskandar as also being responsible for three additional units Ellis Acted in 2007. And according to his firm's website, "Founder, Peter Iskandar shapes the overall character and integrity of Bubble Real Estate, instilling it with responsible business practice, community involvement, and long term vision."
So yes, Bubble Real Estate is an actual San Francisco company, and it was founded by a guy who Ellis Acted a bunch of senior citizens.
If you need me, I'll be at the bar trying to drink this out of my memory.
Related: Report: Ellis Act Filings Up 36% As Evictions Hit Six-Year High