After Three Years, COVID-19 Eviction Protections Expire

Los Angeles County has kept COVID-19 eviction protections for renters for much longer than other parts of the nation.

COVID eviction protections expire today

Today, the safeguards have ended. Now about 246,000 households in L.A. County that owe back pay in rent could face eviction this month.

My colleague Julia Barajas spoke with several Angeleno renters who have been directly impacted by COVID-19 and are currently behind on their rent. They’ve gotten sick with COVID, lost jobs and lost loved ones in the past three years. Some, like Martha Aguilar, who is five months behind rent, have yet to fully recover from catching COVID. She’ll have to move into a friend's home without a lot of her belongings.

"If my friend leaves the state, like so many others have," Aguilar said, "I’ll be one more person on the street."

My colleague David Wagner wrote about how advocates and L.A. officials are concerned about how this could spark a homelessness crisis. But there’s data that shows there’s already been people who haven’t been completely protected from their landlords filing for evictions.

There are ways renters can get help. David has a comprehensive guide on how to navigate the end of the eviction moratorium.

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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Wait... One More Thing

Music Fans Unite. Here's Where You Can Listen To Music For Free

The music scene at Venice West

(Meg Botel

/

LAist)

If there’s one word I love, it’s free.

L.A. just so happens to be the place to be if you want to listen to music for no cost at all.

My colleagues Evan Jacoby and Megan Botel are giving us the lowdown on where we can find free and inexpensive music to listen to. There’s something for nearly every music listener out here.

Are you a jazz lover like me? The LACMA has free jazz concerts every Friday evening. Is punk more of your groove? The Smell is the perfect place to be for just $5. There’s so much to check out in this list. Do you enjoy listening to up-and-coming artists? MakeOutMusic has shows ranging from free to about $20 in Boyle Heights.

Read more about their recommendations on where to find good music to listen to that won’t break your bank. And ICYMI, check out their How To LA podcast episode about it!