At a special meeting of the Santa Clarita City Council Tuesday, Councilmembers will consider rescinding the city’s evictions moratorium and adopting Los Angeles County’s policy.

The Council will also discuss its letter to Supervisor Kathryn Barger requesting a variance on reopening policies, and consider amending its hearing schedule for switching to elections-by-district, among other items on the May 26 agenda.

Evictions Moratorium
On March 31, 2020 the City Council adopted an urgency ordinance providing certain eviction protection for residential and commercial tenants as a result of financial impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously the County of Los Angeles had issued an order providing similar protection for tenants in the unincorporated portions of the County. Since that time, the County has twice amended their order, increasing the rent payback period from 6 to 12 months, extending the eviction moratorium period to June 30, clarifying that the commercial tenant protection applies to small businesses, and extending the applicability of the order to those cities in the County that do not have their own eviction moratorium.

This ordinance would rescind the City’s prior ordinance, thereby making landlords and tenants in the City subject to the same rules and protections as those in the rest of the County, including any amendments to the order that the County may adopt in the future.

Barger Letter
At the May 12, 2020, City Council Meeting, the City Council requested a letter from the Mayor be distributed to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, followed by a meeting among a committee of the Council and City Manager with Supervisor Barger, to request a variance for communities located in the North County region. This agenda item is for the City Council to review and discuss the letter and written response from Supervisor Barger and the details of the meeting, and provide any necessary direction to staff.

Elections by District
On March 19, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 20-7 declaring its intention to switch to election by districts and setting forth a hearing schedule based upon the requirements of Elections Code section 10010. On April 28, the City Council amended the hearing schedule based upon the County of Los Angeles’ extension of the Safer at Home Order to May 15.

The County has now extended the Safer at Home order indefinitely, indicating the new order is meant to implement Stage 2 of the County’s Roadmap to Recovery Program. Presumably the County will next revise the order to accommodate Stage 3, but the timing of future amendments is uncertain.

The current order does not allow for physical, in-person gatherings of large numbers of members of the public at City Council meetings. This resolution would amend the hearing schedule again, with a first hearing on June 1, 2020.

If the County has not revised its order to allow for attendance by large numbers of the public at Council meetings by May 29, the City Manager is directed to cancel the first two hearings, and the Alternate Schedule, which begins June 5, will be operative.

If the County has not revised its order by noon on June 4, the City Manager is directed to cancel the first two hearings on the Alternate Schedule and agendize consideration of further schedule changes for the Council’s June 9, 2020, regular meeting.

Tuesday’s special meeting is set to start at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Boulevard, First Floor, Valencia 91355.

See the complete agenda here.