California will pay off all past-due rent from the last year and a half of the pandemic, Gov. Newsom promised landlords. But it’s still unclear whether the ban on evictions for unpaid rent will continue past this month, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
The ban was enacted to provide relief to renters during the pandemic, but was always meant to be temporary. Federal eviction protections will expire at the end of June.
But California passed separate, larger protections to encompass more people.
Legislators are debating options with Newsom and the issue hinges on the portion of the state’s $260 billion operating budget designated for paying off all unpaid back rents - extending the protection would give the state extra time to disburse the funds.
But some disagree on how long that extension should last.
"The expectation for people to be up and at ’em and ready to pay rent on July 1 is wholeheartedly unfair," said Kelli Lloyd, a single mother and member of advocacy group Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
Lloyd has not worked consistently during the pandemic and for her two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in South Los Angeles pays $1,924 a month. After months of being out of work and caring for her two children with day care centers closed and remote learning, she owes about $30,000 in back rent.
The state will most likely pay the debt, but that doesn’t help Lloyd’s quest for work. If the protections expire, she worries she could be evicted.
And it’s been difficult on property managers and property owners as well.
According to Sonoma County property manager Keith Becker, 14 tenants owe more than $100,000 in rent payments.
The owners have grown weary of the seemingly endless protections.
"We should do our best to get back to the starting point where we were in December of 2019. Anything other than that is taking advantage of a crisis," he said.
With money from multiple aid packages approved by Congress, California has about $5.2 billion available to pay off all rent debt in the state, which should be more than enough, according to Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Newsom on housing and homelessness.
But the disbursement of the money has been slow going. It seems unlikely the state can spend it all by June 30.
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