Local eviction moratoriums do not appear to be stopping tenants from being kicked out of their homes in Long Beach.
The city has seen more than its fair share of evictions. Cynthia Macias with the non-profit Housing Long Beach told KNX the number of evictions is easing up but not stopping.
“50-50 you have the good [cases] and those bad ones, but they are evening out. It’s not mostly bad, as it was in the beginning of the year,” said Macias.
“The beginning of the year was tough.”
Macias said many landlords in Long Beach are claiming they need to do substantial rehab on the rental to push tenants out. The landlords point to the city's older housing stock to justify what can be an informal eviction.
“That is a huge problem. That’s where a lot of landlords are choosing to go,” she said.
According to the county government, “Landlords are prohibited from harassing or intimidating tenants that exercise their rights under the county’s moratorium, and may be subject to administrative fines and penalties for violating this provision.”
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to extend the county’s eviction moratorium through the end of September back in June. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed a nationwide eviction moratorium extension Tuesday, which will expire Oct. 3.
Long Beach has seen a cluster of evictions compared to the surrounding area due, in part, to its 11 percent unemployment rate, which is higher than the state and county average, and the number of renters in the city, making up 60 percent of residents.
A UCLA study found that evicting families from their homes during the pandemic accelerates the transmission of COVID-19 in communities, leading to thousands of avoidable cases and death.
Housing Long Beach operates an Emergency Renters Assistance Program hotline for tenants facing eviction at (562) 676-3183.