After about three years of shielding tenants from evictions due to non-payment of rent, L.A. County is set to scrap renter protections tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Housing advocates and renters had called for more help before March 31, when the COVID-19 protections are set to expire. But county leaders rejected a proposal on Tuesday intended to soften the blow for renters who could soon face eviction.
After hours of debate, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted against setting up new protections tied to the ongoing homelessness emergency they declared earlier this year.
The decision to end all emergency tenant protections marked a shift from previous votes, when county supervisors repeatedly extended policies aimed at helping renters stay housed.
“There has been time for our cities to put in place their own protections,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the meeting. “At this point, it feels like an overreach right now to impose these [rules] on the incorporated cities.”
The new protections that were voted down were proposed by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, two progressive board members who previously tried and failed to extend the COVID-19 protections through June. Supervisors Hahn and Kathryn Barger voted against the new rules, while Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstained.
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