Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Why A New Law That Extends Statewide Eviction Protections Has Many LA Tenant Advocates Upset
A sign at an August 2020 protest in L.A.
(
Valerie Macon
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Just one day before statewide rules against eviction were set to expire, California lawmakers voted to extend protections through the end of June. And Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who is the acting governor while Gavin Newsom is on vacation, quickly signed the bill into law.
"California’s nation-leading rent relief program has provided much needed relief for more than 220,000 households across the state," said Kounalakis, who became the first woman in state history to sign legislation into law. "Today’s action will provide additional time to thousands more who are in the process of acquiring emergency relief.”
However, many tenant advocates in Los Angeles aren’t happy about the passing of Assembly Bill 2179. That’s because the new law — while providing protections for rent relief applicants throughout the state — strips stronger protections from many tenants in L.A. County by superseding a new county ordinance.
Lawmakers said they passed the bill in response to the fact that, about a year into California’s rent relief program, most applicants still have not received funding. Once signed into law, the extension would continue protecting applicants from eviction through June 30.
Support for LAist comes from
However, the law offers no protections to renters who miss the state’s March 31 deadline to apply for rent relief. Tenants who fail to apply before April 1 could face eviction proceedings over non-payment of rent as soon as Friday.
That’s a marked contrast to the stronger protections passed by L.A. County’s Board of Supervisors in January. That local law, set to take effect April 1, was written to protect more renters from eviction — even those who didn’t apply for rent relief — through the end of this year.
By overriding the county law and other local ordinances around the state, AB 2179 “will have devastating consequences for L.A.County renters and families outside the city [of Los Angeles],” statewide renters’ rights group Tenants Together said in a tweet.
The state law does not affect the ongoing eviction protections in the city of L.A., where renters hurt by COVID-19 can continue deferring rent until 2023. But county residents who live outside the city no longer have the protections they’ve been told to expect.
Tenant advocates say Sacramento’s last-minute vote will create confusion and put many households at sudden risk of eviction.
Updated March 31, 2022 at 3:53 PM PDT
This story updated with the legislation being signed into law.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist