Action Alert!

SEPTEMBER 2022

LA Housing Department Proposes Ending COVID Eviction Protections

The City of Los Angeles may have a New Year’s present for renters that they clearly don’t want. If the LA City Council adopts a proposal by the LA Housing Department landlords will once again be allowed to evict tenants for not paying their rent even if they’ve fallen behind for COVID-19-related circumstances.

In addition, tenants living in rent-controlled apartments in the City of LA — buildings built prior to October 1978 and accounting for three-quarters of the apartment stock — will once again face rent increases the following year, in January 2024.

LAHD Proposal: A Roadmap to

·     Increased Homelessness

·     Increased Evictions

·     Increased Gentrification

·     Increased Loss of RSO Units Due to the Ellis Act

·     Increased Economic Hardship for LA Renters

The proposal calls for the following eviction protections to end on December 31, 2022:

Evictions for:

           Rent Owed

           Owner Occupancy

           Resident Manager

           Demolition & Removal from Rental Market (Ellis)

           Lease/Rental Violations for Pets, Additional Tenants, Noise

Payment of Rent – Under the current provisions of the local L.A. City COVID eviction protections, tenants are protected from eviction for non-payment of rent, late charges or interest due to circumstances related to COVID-19. In order to conduct ample public education and outreach, LAHD recommends phasing out the eviction protections beginning on November 1, 2022, while continuing eviction protections for tenants who are currently unable to pay their full rent due to the financial impact of the pandemic through December 31, 2022.

Payment of Rental Arrears – State law requires that rent debt accrued between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021 be repaid by August 1, 2023. “COVID-19 rental debt” is specifically defined as rent that was due between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021. The City is not preempted from allowing a 12-month repayment period for rent debt accrued after September 30, 2021.

For this reason, LAHD is recommending a two-step repayment period:

●         All back rent due by August 1, 2023, for rental arrears accrued between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021; and

●         All back rent due December 31, 2023 (12 months after the expiration of the local eviction moratorium) for rental arrears accrued from November 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022.

Particularly 

Cruel

Tenants who adopted pets during COVID even though their rental agreement/lease prohibited pets were protected from eviction. The LAHD proposal calls for those pets to be kicked to the curb, thus potentially adding to the overcrowded challenges at our City’s animals shelters. Tenants in this situation will have to choose between giving up their beloved pet or being eviction or moving, thus facing higher rents or living on the streets.

Evictions for Nuisance and Unauthorized Occupancy or Pets - Under the provisions of LAMC 49.99.C, landlords may not evict a residential tenant based on the presence of unauthorized occupants or pets, or for nuisance related to COVID-19 during the Local Emergency Period. LAHD recommends extending the existing eviction protections for unauthorized occupants or pets or “nuisance” related to circumstances related to COVID-19 through December 31, 2022. This will provide the public with notice of the change and allow renters time to make alternative arrangements.

One Good Thing, But Far Too Little

In Light of the Other Recommendations

In order to address existing gaps in eviction protections for non-RSO units and provide a basic level of tenant protections, LAHD recommends that the City Council instruct the City Attorney, to draft an ordinance to expand eviction protections for non-RSO rental units and requiring relocation assistance, tenant notification, and mandatory eviction filings for no-fault evictions.

Tenant groups, including CES, have voiced opposition to these recommendations stating that the pandemic that exacerbated the housing crisis for renters, is still on-going, and recovery from the pandemic will be long and difficult for vulnerable low-income families, especially those who lost primary breadwinners and care providers. Because household finances have not stabilized for those at the lowest incomes and tenant protections have been an important tool to keep renters housed.

CES and other tenant groups strongly urge the City not to lift the protections abruptly. Asserting that the emergency eviction protections have not caused significant undue hardship for most landlords and that the level of housing insecurity for renters prior to the pandemic was not acceptable, We urge that the City not lift the COVID-19 tenant protections until permanent protections are strengthened.

ACT NOW!!!

Contact City Council Members NOW to

REJECT the LA Housing Department Proposal!

Demand COVID Eviction Protections

Are NOT Weakened or Eliminated

& Should Actually Be Strengthened:

LA City Council Members: 

The contact information comes

directly for the City of LA web site.

If emails bounce, call their office 

to request correct email address.

Gil Cedillo - Gilbert.Cedillo@lacity.org - 213 473-7001 - @gilcedillo 

Paul Krekorian - councilmember.Krekorian@lacity.org – 213-473-7002 - @PaulKrekorian     

Bob Blumenfield - councilmember.blumenfield@lacity.org – 213-473-7003 - @BobBlumenfield

Nithya Raman - contactCD4@lacity.org – 213-473-7004 - @nithyavraman

Paul Koretz - paul.koretz@lacity.org – 213-473-7005 - @PaulKoretzCD5            

Nury Martinez - councilmember.martinez@lacity.org – 213-473-7006 - @CD6Nury

Monica Rodriguez - councilmember.rodriguez@lacity.org – 213-473-7007 - @MRodCD7

Marqueece Harris-Dawson - councilmember.harris-dawson@lacity.org – 213-473-7008                                                                                           - @mhdcd8    

Curren D. Price, Jr. - councilmember.price@lacity.org – 213-473-7009 - @CurrenDPriceJr

CD 10 - Vacant                                   

Mike Bonin - councilmember.bonin@lacity.org – 213-473-7011 - @MikeBoninLA

John Lee - councilmember.Lee@lacity.org – 213-473-7012 - @CD12LA                 

Mitch O'Farrell - councilmember.ofarrell@lacity.org – 213-473-7013 - @MitchOFarrell 

Kevin de León - councilmember.kevindeleon@lacity.org – 213-473-7014 - @Kdeleoncd14

Joe Buscaino - councilmember.buscaino@lacity.org – 213-473-7015

CES Opposes Any Efforts to Weaken or Eliminate Any Renter Protections

CES Supports Strengthening Protections

To relax or eliminate COVID eviction protections would cruel and inhuman.

The COVID emergency is not over.

The City Council can’t truly address homelessness with actions that will throw more people on the street.

Inflation has made things more expensive, but with housing affordable units are scarce allowing landlords to charge a premium on available units.

Over the last year, there’s been a 17% surge of rents prices according to Zillow data.

HUD reports LA’s median rent is $2,258. But, for vacant RSO units 2-bedroom apartments are renting for $4,000 according to ApartmentList.com.

At that rent you’d need to make $160,000 a year for it to be affordable, yet the average LA salary is $68,000.

The City Council must not abandon renters now. Protections need to be strengthened, not weakened at this time.

CES stands in support of expanded, permanent renter protections, including:

-Options to strengthen permanent protections to prevent eviction of tenants that suffer temporary disruptions in income;

-Expanding just cause protections to all rental units with no exceptions.

-Limiting allowable rent increases to 60% of the Consumer Price Index. 

-Eliminating the 3% floor for allowable rent increases.

-Eliminating the 1% annual allowable increase for master meter buildings.

-Making it illegal to take away parking spaces as West Hollywood has done instead of it being a reduction of services

-Prohibiting temporary relocation for housing upgrades if the landlord then intends to Ellis evict or convert to Tenants In Common

ATTENTION ALL RENTERS!

Attend the

Coalition for Economic Survival

Tenants' Rights Zoom Clinic

To sign up for the next Coalition for Economic Survival

Tenants’ Rights Clinic via ZOOM

Request a Link by emailing:

HelpingLArenters@gmail.com

The Clinic serves the entire Southern California area.

Accommodations for Spanish and Russian speakers are provided.

CES holds the Clinic Every Saturday via Zoom at 10 am.

and every Wednesday at 6 pm for West Hollywood Renter

To request a link to register for any Clinic email: HelpingLArenters@gmail.com.