LA Extends Eviction Moratorium To Businesses, Offers Microloans
By LAist Staff
Published Mar 17, 2020 5:13 PM
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced new relief measures to help small businesses weather the restrictions triggered by the public health response to coronavirus.
First, the city is planning to provide $11 million in no-fee microloans for small businesses to help them with bills, like payroll and rent, to make sure they can continue to pay employees and come through the crisis.
Garcetti said these loans could immediately benefit more than 2,000 businesses in L.A.
In addition, Garcetti said the city is extending the moratorium on evictions to commercial tenants, as well, given that many small businesses have had to make major changes and sacrifices in order to comply with the new restrictions.
Garcetti reminded people that the most important thing they can do right now is continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing. If you can work from home, work from home, he said.
He stopped short of banning all public gatherings, even as the governor warned that such orders may be coming soon and other counties and cities, including Palm Springs, Orange County and several counties in the Bay Area, have announced such orders.
"There is no plan to lock down this city. That is not imminent. But we ask you all to lock down your life as much as you can," he said.
Fentanyl and other drugs fuel record deaths among people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County. From 2019 to 2021, deaths jumped 70% to more than 2,200 in a single year.
