The LA County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the county's coronavirus eviction moratorium on Tuesday. The vote means the eviction ban will continue for an additional three months, keeping renters in their homes through September 30.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl recommended the extension -- which she said is protecting tens of thousands of residents from eviction -- and also acknowledged that small landlords are struggling and need assistance.
"No one should be made homeless by this crisis," Kuehl said, promising a "thoughtful phase-out in a way that doesn't jeopardize the success we've had."
The Los Angeles County Temporary Eviction Moratorium was initially instituted in the early days of the pandemic, March 2020. Under the moratorium, tenants can not be evicted for coronavirus-related nonpayment of rent or for reasons such as denying entry to a landlord or unauthorized occupants or pets – as long as those reasons are related to COVID-19.
The order also prohibits landlords from increasing rent on rent-stabilized units. The local moratorium applies where it does not overlap with state protections, which are currently set to expire June 30.
The moratorium is not a cancellation of unpaid rent, however. Tenants are still responsible for repayment of their rent once the eviction ban expires.
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.”
Many LA landlords opposed the motion, saying they need full rent payments to pay their bills.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger brought up landlords' concerns.
"The moratorium has now been in place for almost a year and a half. Throughout that time, small property owners, folks who have saved their whole lives to buy a rental unit, elderly persons who use rental income to pay for their current care ... have faced a lot of significant challenges," Barger said.
"It is incumbent that we find a way to phase out the eviction moratorium, but based on what I'm hearing, now is not the time."
The board's vote did lift the prohibition on evictions in the case of landlords or family members moving back into a single-family home, subject to additional conditions. Such evictions will require at least 60 days notice and will only be allowed when the renter is able to pay rent and has not been impacted financially by COVID-19.
The exceptions will apply only when an owner or family member is of a similar profile to the existing tenant. City News Service explained it as, "elderly tenants may only be evicted if the landlord or incoming family member is also elderly and low-income tenants may only be evicted if the landlord or incoming family member is also low-income, for example." The same requirement applies to disabled tenants.
The motion was ultimately passed with multiple amendments, including a call for county lawyers and staffers to report back on the ability to make protections conditional on good-faith efforts to apply for rent relief.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has another plan for helping renters struggling since the pandemic. He proposed using California’s unexpected surplus to pay off all the past-due rent that accumulated during the coronavirus pandemic. The plan should satisfy landlords worried about bills and renters threatened with looming evictions.
Newsom will discuss the budget with legislative leaders ahead of the state’s end of the fiscal year, June 30.
Reporting was contributed by City News Service.