CLIENT ALERT
March 18, 2020
UPDATES ON THE COURT SYSTEM
AND SHERIFF’S OFFICES
In response to the COVID 19 outbreak, we have received notices and orders from various court systems and sheriff’s offices. The governor has issued a mandate and the County of Orange has issued an emergency order, both of which have already been revised. In addition, President Trump is expected to issue an emergency order later today. Unfortunately, much of the information received is confusing and ambiguous and we expect to receive new and revised orders.
This is what we know as of noon today:
Los Angeles County:
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced on March 17th that an emergency moratorium has been placed on all commercial and residential evictions, based on non-payment of rent, retroactive to March 4, 2020 and extending through May 31, 2020. Tenants will be given 6 months to pay any back rent due after May 31, 2020. Tenants will also be given relief from any utility shut-downs during this time period. Small businesses will be eligible for disaster loan assistance from U.S. Small Business Administration. We will provide a full copy of the order once it is available.
Los Angeles County Court System:
All civil trials were suspended through April 16, 2020. The court will be open for time sensitive, essential functions only.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Offices:
All evictions have been postponed until after May 31, 2020.
Orange County:
Orange County issued an emergency order on March 17th prohibiting all gatherings, including those that are work related, except for defined set of “essential activities”. Essential activities include but are not limited to medical, police & fire, utilities, stores that provide food and supplies, food banks, post office, banks and most government agencies. The order caused widespread confusion and resulted in many businesses closing down effective this morning. The county has now confirmed that this order was “not” intended to be a lock down. Business can and “are encouraged to” continue operating but are requested to follow state guidelines which include canceling non-essential meetings and having employees maintain social distancing. The county is expected to issue a revised and more clear order in the next day or two.
Orange County Court System:
The court system is closed for entry but is expected to open again on March 30, 2020. The court is accepting documents on existing cases only via the e-file system. The court will “not” file any new cases until March 30, 2020. All hearing scheduled through March 30, 2020 have already been continued until a date after April 1, 2020.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office:
All evictions have been stayed pending further notice.
San Bernardino Court System:
Most of the courthouses in the county were closed effective March 17, 2020 and through April 2, 2020. There are a few courthouses that are open on a very limited basis to handle emergency matters only.
San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office:
All evictions have been stayed until at least April 3, 2020.
Riverside County Court System:
All civil trials will be suspended until after May 25, 2020. All UD trials will be continued for a period of 60 days from March 17, 2020.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office:
All evictions have been stayed pending further notice.
San Diego County Court System:
The court is closed effective March 17, 2020 through April 3, 2020 except for a limited number of emergency matters. While filings are being accepted via the e-file system, we have been notified that nothing will actually be filed or processed until after April 6, 2020.
San Diego Sheriff’s Office:
All evictions have been stayed pending further notice.
We will continue to provide updates as received.
Rick Seide and Ellen Ticknor
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