The Los Angeles City Council wants to significantly lengthen the city’s moratorium on evictions that was put in place this week to soften the economic impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The City Council approved a motion on Tuesday to give both residential and commercial tenants up to 12 months to pay their landlords back rent related to the pandemic, according to Curbed LA. The pandemic has forced many people out of work.
The measure would extend Mayor Eric Garcetti’s six month moratorium for residential tenants and three month moratorium for commercial tenants.
It was one of several coronavirus-related motions the Council moved ahead on Tuesday. To come into effect, most require the city attorney to return with a legal measure to the council for a final vote.
Other cities have enacted similar moratoriums, including New York, San Antonio, and Seattle.
The co-author of the eviction extension, Councilmember Mike Bonin, also wants the city to waive a requirement in Garcetti’s order that requires tenants show proof they were impacted by the pandemic. The city attorney’s office and the housing department doubted whether that was legal, however.
Another motion the council moved forward would require lenders to “suspend mortgage foreclosures and mortgage late fees for the duration of the public health crisis,” according to Curbed.
On Sunday, Garcetti also ordered bars, restaurants, and other high-traffic businesses in the city to close to mitigate the spread of the virus. He also ordered the city to create a fund to extend interest-free loans to small businesses affected by the pandemic. [Curbed] — Dennis Lynch