The Brief

The vast majority of landlords filing evictions in the L.A. area have attorneys, but few tenants show up to court with legal representation.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors wants to change that. On Tuesday, they voted 5 to 0 to take the first step toward creating a program that would provide free attorneys to tenants in danger of losing their homes.

“We're in the middle of a housing crisis, and it's important to keep people housed,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who co-authored the proposal. “Legal representation is expensive and unaffordable to far too many working people.”

Free legal won’t be available immediately. The vote in support of a “right to counsel” program directed county staff to develop a draft ordinance that could be voted on 10 months from now.

The first phase of the program envisioned by county leaders would only apply to low-income renters in unincorporated parts of L.A. County. The supervisors said their plan is to eventually create a universal, countywide program by 2030, depending on funding.

As mayor of West Hollywood, an eviction notice

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the only renter on the board, said her yes vote in part stemmed from personal experience. She said back when she was the mayor of West Hollywood, her landlord taped a three-day eviction notice to her door, despite her always paying rent on time.

“If they are willing to do this to a mayor of a city — a city that at the time fought for renters — they are certainly willing to do this to people who have far fewer resources,” Horvath said. “If I hadn't had friends who had legal training to protect me, I don't know what would have happened.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, dozens of tenants lined up to deliver public comment in support of the proposal. Many recounted personal stories of struggling to navigate confusing eviction proceedings without the help of an attorney.

“My experience of what it feels like when you have no legal representation when they try to evict you was horrible,” said renter Edgar Valencia, who said he was ultimately able to find legal aid through local nonprofits. “Some of us barely can afford to pay the high rent with our income, much less will we be able to pay for a lawyer.”

Studies across the country have found that most tenants without legal representation lose their cases, but that the likelihood of staying housed significantly increases when tenants receive legal help. Cities such as New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco have passed some form of right to counsel.

Cost and timeline concerns

Landlord advocates also spoke during the meeting, opposing the plan over questions of cost-effectiveness. They said in many cases, giving tenants rent relief funds to cover shortfalls would make more sense than paying attorneys to intervene in disputes.

“It costs thousands of dollars to provide legal counsel for one case. Tax dollars can go much further through a rental subsidy,” said Fred Sutton, L.A. spokesperson for the California Apartment Association. “[A right to counsel program] only delays the process and does not stop a lawful claim to reclaim your property.”

The county’s timeline for launching a right to counsel program will leave out renters facing eviction now or in the near future as a result of L.A.’s COVID-19 protections going away earlier this year.

“We certainly would have liked to see a shorter timeline,” said Sasha Harnden, a policy advocate for the Inner City Law Center, who supports the proposal. “But it's true that we need a big expansion of these services and of the attorneys who provide them. We're glad that the county is not simply turning on a fire hose right away.”

Pablo Estupiñan, head of the L.A. Right To Counsel Coalition, estimates that there are about 50 eviction defense attorneys currently helping low-income renters across L.A. County. He said to meet demand from every tenant who needs help, the county would need about 400 attorneys.

Estupiñan said his group is working to train law students and build a pipeline of attorneys interested in housing law.

“We want to build a movement of lawyers dedicated to eviction defense,” he said.

Where to get help now

Currently, the city and county of Los Angeles are funding StayHousedLA.org, an umbrella organization made up of tenant advocacy groups. For renters who need help now, they provide legal assistance and in some cases full legal representation to those who’ve faced eviction since the start of the pandemic.

The county’s right to counsel proposal comes on the heels of a similar effort in the city of L.A. Councilmembers there voted in March to instruct the city’s housing department to report back within 60 days on plans for implementing a right to counsel program, but that report is now overdue. The council is currently on recess until the end of July.

Funding source still unclear 

In late 2019, the policy consulting firm Stout estimated that creating a right to counsel throughout L.A. County would cost about $47 million per year, not including the cost of providing lawyers to renters who live within the city of L.A. The Stout consultants also concluded those dollars would be recouped by saving the county about $227 million in costs that would typically be spent on homelessness aid and other services to tenants who could otherwise be evicted.

It’s not yet clear how the program will be funded. Mitchell, the county supervisor, suggested the funding for the right to counsel program could eventually come from the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, a new body tasked with developing solutions for the region’s housing crisis and convincing voters to fund efforts through future ballot measures.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger voted for the proposal, but said the county will have to keep an eye on how any future funds are spent.

“I want to make sure that these programs are utilized by those in the most need, and not commandeered by bad actors looking to exploit resources,” Barger said. “We do not have a sustainable funding source identified at this time.”

California has been preparing to fill a budget gap for gender-affirming care procedures after the federal government pulled the funds under the direction of President Donald Trump and Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

LAist crunched the numbers to see if the state has budgeted enough, and here’s what we found.

Youth on Medi-Cal bill $1 million yearly for hormones

People under 18 covered by Medi-Cal filed about $1 million in claims in 2025 for hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers, according to data California’s Department of Health Care Services. That accounted for about 4,000 claims.

Some providers that take trans youth patients on Medi-Cal, like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ trans youth clinic, closed last year, though many doctors still were able to write out prescriptions that lasted patients for months after that.

Some care remains covered 

Medi-Cal also covered 4,800 claims for about 1,500 Medi-Cal members under 18 in 2025 for “doctor visits, counseling, surgeries, speech therapy, and other services,” totaling $6.4 million. Gender-affirming surgeries are only recommended for minors in rare circumstances.

However, the restrictions in the federal Medicaid rule only affect puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and surgeries, according to health policy organization KFF, so services like mental health treatment would still be reimbursable with federal funds. The rule, which would take effect Oct. 13, also lets states pay for minors’ gender-affirming hormone treatments and surgeries themselves.

The state has already set aside two pots of money to close gaps in funding for gender-affirming healthcare services: a $30 million fund for gender-affirming care and abortion services, and a $26 million trust fund specifically for trans healthcare. California Health & Human Services Agency leaders anticipate the funds will cover these Medi-Cal services over the next three years.

Medi-Cal’s budget

The overall Medi-Cal program budget during this period was almost $200 billion, according to state data. Transgender youth health services, including mental health services, make up just 0.004% of the plan’s budget.

Medi-Cal administers both the federal Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) under a Medicaid expansion allowed for by the Affordable Care Act.

“The federal rule applies solely to federal Medicaid and CHIP funding; California will determine any adjustments needed to align with federal requirements,” California Department of Health Care Services spokesperson Anthony Cava said in a statement. “California remains committed to safeguarding access to medically necessary care for Medi-Cal members, including gender-affirming care.”

Medi-Cal agencies like L.A. Care have stated that they are continuing to cover gender-affirming care services.

Issues may still arise

While they celebrated the establishment of the fund, trans healthcare advocates have noted that some issues may arise due to providers who are unsure how the new state rules apply.

The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus has also said it’s bracing for future budget years to be “even more challenging as federal funding cuts and attacks on targeted investments to marginalized communities continue to threaten critical services.”

Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has denounced the restrictions on federal funding since they were first floated last year. A lawsuit has not yet been announced, but a spokesperson for his office told LAist, “We are closely reviewing the final rule.”

After homelessness advocates pushed a Los Angeles City Council member to change how the city treats encampments in his district, the full City Council voted Tuesday to selectively stop enforcing a law that bans unhoused people from sleeping in certain areas.

A controversial policy

One of the city’s most controversial enforcement laws on homelessness is found in section 41.18 of L.A.’s municipal code. It allows local elected leaders to establish zones where unhoused people cannot sit, lie down, sleep or keep belongings on sidewalks or other public areas.

What's new?

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez — who represents a district including Hollywood, Silver Lake and Echo Park — recently introduced a motion to remove some of the 41.18 districts established by his predecessor, Mitch O'Farrell.

On Tuesday, the council voted 10-3 to allow some zones to be erased in Soto-Martinez’s district. The zones include underpasses in Silver Lake, underpasses in Echo Park and 101 Freeway overpasses in Hollywood.

Soto-Martinez said he believed today’s measure was the first effort to have 41.18 zones removed rather than put in place.

The debate

Supporters of 41.18 have said the policy allows officials to keep encampments away from schools, parks and other areas deemed “sensitive” by the city, enabling parents to keep their children away from encampments and helping to keep important pedestrian infrastructure clear.

Critics have said the policy doesn’t reliably keep encampments away from sensitive sites because people simply return after sweeps that don't offer them housing.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Soto-Martinez said enforcement in some of these areas leads to unhoused people losing their belongings, becoming lost to outreach workers and sometimes getting arrested.

“To me, that is a policy that does not work,” Soto-Martinez said in Tuesday’s meeting. “In our district, these zones were making it harder to do the things that do work.”

Councilmember Nithya Raman, now running for mayor, has also argued the policy is ineffective, saying it merely moves encampments to other blocks without getting people into housing.

A 2023 report from L.A.’s lead homelessness agency, first covered by LAist, concluded that the policy hadn’t kept most areas clear of encampments, and was “generally ineffective” at connecting people to housing.

Dissenting votes

Some council members strongly defend using 41.18 in their districts. Three voted against rescinding the zones in Soto-Martinez’s district.

Monica Rodriguez, council member for a district that covers much of the northeast San Fernando Valley, said during Tuesday’s meeting that “41.18 was never intended to be the solution to our homeless problem. In fact quite the opposite. It’s just about protecting public spaces for families who want to be able to take their kids to the park and not have to be exposed to it.”

El Niño is officially with us, and it’s looking like it’s likely going to be a doozy.

The natural global climate pattern temporarily warms the eastern tropical Pacific, causing extreme weather patterns across the globe. A strong El Niño has historically, though not always, been associated with very wet winters here in Southern California.

“ We are now explicitly expecting the strongest El Niño event ever observed,” said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain. “ There will be a strong tilt in the odds towards wet, perhaps even very wet conditions in Southern California.”

Maybe you remember the very wet El Niños of years past — 1982 and 1997. Both were historic events that led to billions of dollars in damage and dozens of deaths.

“This is highly likely to exceed what occurred in [1982 or 1997], and by a considerable margin,” Swain said.

The good news? You still have time to prepare.

Experts emphasize that people need to develop an understanding of their personal risk, talk to neighbors who may have experienced flooding in the past and consider getting insured.

Know your risk

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, compiles flood risk maps (you can also use this L.A. County map here).

Be aware that they are not comprehensive and can be out-of-date. Also, they include only risk from coastal flooding, such as tides and waves, as well as from rivers, creeks, channels and levies, which risk spilling over after back-to-back severe storms.

But the maps don’t include flood risk from short, heavy downpours or mudflows in recent burn zones, said Brett Sanders, a professor leading UC Irvine’s Flood Lab. So even if your home is not within an official flood zone, you could be at risk.

“What used to be grasslands and open space has been covered more and more by asphalt and concrete,” Sanders said. “And so more and more water runs off and these flood risks are increasing.”

Flooding diverts traffic on a Long Beach street in 2024.

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Eric Thayer

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Associated Press

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His lab has been working to figure out how to develop more comprehensive flood maps, to better determine risks and reflect changes brought on by a warming climate.

But Sanders said one of your best bets to prepare is low-tech: speak with neighbors or officials who know your local area, and remember how past severe rain events have affected your street or neighborhood. For example, if you live at the base of a hill, or in a basement or ground-level apartment, you’re more likely to see some water flow. That historical memory can help you develop a plan for a worst-case scenario.

“Some common sense local awareness from people is really valuable,” Sanders said. “Talk to somebody that's been around for a while. Ask them, ‘Do you remember floods happening here in the past?’ Or, ‘What happened in 1997 when we had our last really wet El Nino?’”

Once you know, consider filling sand bags ahead of time, keep drainages around and on your house clear, and think about how flooding may affect your travel routes.

People who live in recent wildfire burn areas are likely through the worst of it, Swain said.

“ I think the initial highest risk period will have passed by this winter,” he said.

Still, mudflow is possible. So remember how mud flowed during the storms soon after the 2025 L.A. fires and make sure you have what you need to protect your property and evacuate safely if needed.

Consider flood insurance

Homeowners and renters should take a moment to read their current insurance policies closely. Most homeowners insurance, as well as renters insurance, does not include coverage for flooding (water damage coverage is not flood coverage). Less than 2% of Californians have flood insurance at all.

If you don’t have it, get a quote, said Amy Bach, director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit that advocates for insurance consumers. Flood insurance is usually a lot cheaper than typical insurance.

“ Don't make a decision not to carry flood insurance without getting a quote,” she said. “Find out how much it would cost before you decide.”

If you do get flood insurance, it’ll take about a month to kick in, so you want to start looking now before the official start of the wet season in October.

You can get flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, or some private companies. United Policyholders has a variety of resources to figure out which product is right for you. Bach also pointed to a tool by the California Department of Insurance to compare various insurers based on complaints against them, as well the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, which can help you identify your risks.

“If it rains, it can flood,” Bach said. “And that is more true today than it used to be.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Hundreds of East Los Angeles households near the site of the Lineage warehouse fire will begin receiving a one-time $200 utility credit on their Southern California Edison bills after weeks of pressure from residents and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis to extend relief beyond Boyle Heights. 

Lineage, the owner of the cold-storage warehouse, initially provided $50,000 in utility assistance to 218 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers in Boyle Heights. Residents in unincorporated East L.A., including some who live just blocks from the warehouse, were not included in that support. 

Last week, David Eisenhauer, a representative with Southern California Edison (SCE), told Boyle Heights Beat that Lineage provided $26,600 to cover $200 credits for 133 households in East L.A. These residents live within a boundary designated as Zone 2, which stretches between Indiana Street and Hicks Avenue, and Union Pacific Avenue and the 5 Freeway. SCE said customers living within the boundary will receive an automatic $200 credit applied to their accounts. 

The expansion came after Solis called on Lineage to provide East L.A. residents with the same level of support that was given to the city.

“Lineage has a responsibility to provide fair and equitable support to everyone affected by this disaster, including delivering the remaining $25,000 in utility assistance that was allocated for East Los Angeles residents,” Solis said in a statement to Boyle Heights Beat. 

“After learning that Lineage was working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to provide utility assistance to Boyle Heights residents, I made clear that East Los Angeles residents deserved the same level of support through Southern California Edison,” Solis said. 

On Monday, a Lineage representative told the Beat that the relief had been expanded to cover hundreds more households in East L.A., extending as far as Herbert Avenue. The company has not yet determined the exact amount of support it will provide and some SCE customers’ credits are still being distributed.

The utility assistance comes as residents continue to report higher electricity bills after relying on air purifiers and air conditioners to cope with the stench of rotting food inside the warehouse and poor air quality following the June 17 warehouse fire. 

Why some residents qualify and others don’t

The boundaries of Lineage’s relief programs have been a source of confusion for residents. 

At a virtual community meeting hosted by the mayor’s office last Thursday, a resident sent in a question asking, “Why are not all residents affected by the fire and stench eligible for financial assistance?”

Officials have used a map dividing the area around the warehouse into Zones 1, 2 and 3, with the zones representing the areas closest to the fire. It is unclear who created the map and how those boundaries were established. 

A map of Zones 1, 2 and 3 used by Lineage to determine the type of support offered to households closest to the Lineage warehouse.

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Courtesy of Lineage

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Lineage has used the map to determine which households are eligible for various forms of relief, including air purifiers, air conditioners, housing support, grocery vouchers, cash assistance and utility credits. 

For weeks, residents have called for broader relief, saying the effects of the fire and lingering odors have affected not only homes close to the warehouse, but neighboring areas as well. 

In response, Jenny Delwood, deputy chief of staff to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said that while the areas closest to the warehouse had been prioritized, “… Bass and her partners from the county and city are working to raise additional funding to provide more utility assistance and additional bill payments for a larger geographic area.”

Details on expanded support for households outside of the boundary were not immediately available.

How to know if you qualify: 

According to SCE, customers living between Indiana Street, Herbert Avenue, Union Pacific Avenue and the 5 Freeway will begin receiving an automatic credit to their account.

No further action is required from qualified customers.

LADWP customers living between Los Palos Street, Indiana Street, Union Pacific Avenue and Beswick Street received an automatic credit to their account on July 31.

What support is available for residents who live outside of the boundary?

SCE customers can apply for:

• A number of income-based programs with discounts, including the California Alternate Rates for Energy and Family Electric Rate Assistance. 
• Payment plans, including a long-term installment plan, so customers can spread their balance over time with manageable payments, and the Budget Billing Plan, which helps spread energy costs more evenly throughout the year. (For customers within the impact boundary who enter into a long-term installment plan, the down payment for a new payment plan will be waived.) 
• The Energy Assistance Fund, which provides one-time bill assistance of up to $200. SCE works with United Way and over 80 community-based organizations to provide the assistance but customers need to apply directly through the organization. To find the partner organization closest to you, click here.
• Customers in areas affected by the fire can get more information on SCE’s support programs here.

LADWP customers can request:

• Payment arrangements: No down payment, no interest, no fees; A long-term payment option that divides the total account balance evenly across a specified number of billing periods.
• Payment extension: A short-term payment option that gives customers additional time, up to one billing period, to pay their full balance.
• Level pay: A billing option that helps you plan by providing predictable monthly bills based on average usage. You can also roll in past-due balances.

To inquire about these programs, call 1-800-DIAL-DWP, visit a customer service center or use the online form on LADWP.com/ContactUs.

LADWP customers can also apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through the Maravilla Foundation. But the Maravilla Foundation website says that due to reduced government funding and high demand, fewer applications are being accepted. To qualify for LIHEAP, the monthly income for a family of four must not exceed $6,407.16. A full list of requirements and application instructions can be found here.