Extension of Rent Protections Fails in Los Angeles County

In a tie vote of 2-2—with one abstention—the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has rejected an extension of rent protections for another year and an expansion of the protections into unincorporated areas of the 4,083-square-mile county, an area more than twice as large as Rhode Island.

The resolutions that failed to muster a majority included a cap on rent increases at 3%, or the year-over-year change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The measures also would have extended residential tenant protections for one year in the county and its 88 cities, according to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News.

The protections that were not extended include barring landlords from evicting tenants without just cause and protecting tenants from eviction who have taken in extra occupants—including pets—during the pandemic.

Tenant and renters’ rights groups urged the Board of Supervisors to extend the pandemic-era rent protections, telling the board they fear an eviction wave is building that will crest when the county officially ends the COVID-19 emergency on March 31.

A group of about 20 self-described mom-and-pop landlords and several trade groups representing apartment owners said the tenant protections would have placed extra burdens on landlords who are struggling with rising costs.

“Cities can make these decisions on their own,” Fred Sutton, a VP of public affairs for the California Apartment Association, told the board, the newspaper report said.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, who voted against the rent protection extensions, said she would have supported them a year ago, but with low unemployment and the pandemic ending, “emergency regulations” are no longer needed in Los Angeles County and “restrictions” shouldn’t be placed on landlords in unincorporated areas.

Hahn said the county would offer to help unincorporated cities craft their own local rent ordinances. After rejecting the renter protection extensions, the board passed a resolution directing the county director of consumer affairs to be available to work with cities crafting rent ordinances.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who co-authored the resolution extending renter protections, argued that the protections are an essential tool in preventing an increase in homelessness.

“We are in a declared state of emergency on homelessness,” Horvath said, according to the newspaper report. “The most important thing we can do to stop the tide of homelessness is to help those people to afford the homes they are in.”