The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath’s and Hilda Solis’ motion to extend COVID-19 eviction protections for renters and further the process of setting up rental assistance programs for renters and owners.

“We must protect renters from the increased harm and destabilization that the COVID-19 emergency has caused for our region, especially with our concurrent State of Emergency regarding homelessness,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “With the magnitude of people still getting sick, still out of work, and continuing to die from this emergency, it is essential that we keep folks cared for in stable housing. Continued and expanded protections are critical for both renters and property owners, and the cost and consequences of doing nothing will be dire. We simply cannot afford to abandon our most vulnerable residents who are facing down these compounded crises.”

“We all recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic drastically disrupted our families and economy while disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable. To that end, we must lead with compassion to prevent people from falling into homelessness. While I am deeply disappointed that the entire Board of Supervisors did not support a six-month extension of our emergency eviction protections, I remain committed to addressing the crisis before us. The motion approved today will protect against unlawful evictions stemming from pets and unauthorized guests, and also identifies $5 million from the County’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund and/or American Rescue Plan Act funds to support our ‘Mom-and-Pop’ landlords. This action could not be accomplished without the support of impacted residents and housing rights partners – thank you for your continued advocacy on this critical issue,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.

This motion  extends our existing protections against evictions for nonpayment of rent due to COVID for low income tenants and for unauthorized occupants and pets through the end of March. Such protections seek to mitigate the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our housing market.