The West Hollywood City Council on Monday will be asked to extend the emergency moratorium on evictions for failure to pay rent on commercial and residential properties through June 30.
The moratorium was established to help owners of small businesses and apartment tenants who are unable to pay their rent because of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was scheduled to expire on May 31. It specifies that tenants will have 12 months once the moratorium ends to repay the rent they owe. Extending the moratorium will require the vote of at least four of the five Council members.
A memo to the City Council from City Attorney Mike Jenkins notes that there is a complex mix of state and county laws regarding evictions, however West Hollywood’s ordinance at this point has not been overruled by those of the state or county. “In order to prevent confusion for tenants from the complicated web of state and county eviction protections, the City Attorney’s office recommends extending the local ordinances in one month increments,” says the memo. “This means the local eviction protection (and rent deferral before repayment period) would remain in place until at least June 30, 2020, at which time the Council can assess the status of the local emergency and the efficacy of the ordinance in relationship to the state and county protections. This will allow the city to revise local regulations as necessary as federal, state and county regulations evolve.”
West Hollywood’s residential ordinance also prohibits eviction due to presence of unauthorized tenants, which means a renter can allow friends to share the apartment. “Given the requirements to stay home and lack of available replacement housing, the proposed ordinance also extends this term through June 30, 2020,” the memo states.
The City Council also will be asked to allocate $50,000 to the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to pay for the services of a mediator who can guide commercial landlords and their tenants through laws governing evictions and attempt to negotiate a resolution to any disagreements they might have. If approved, the Chamber will provide mediation services to West Hollywood-based businesses with appointments scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The City Council will consider these and other matters at its “virtual” meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Council members will participate from their homes. Residents can view the meeting live on several platforms:
- www.weho.org/wehotv
- www.youtube.com/wehotv
- Spectrum Channel 10 (in West Hollywood)
- AT&T U-verse Channel 99 (in Southern California)
- SmartTV Apps: AndroidTV; AppleTV; FireTV, and Rokufor
The City Council agenda can be accessed online , and if you’d like to make a comment on an item on the agenda, you can do that online here beginning later today. Your comment will be read aloud at the meeting when the Council considers the agenda item you are commenting on. However, your comment must be submitted before 4 p.m.on Monday.
The eviction moratorium was needed through May. But any extension without corresponding support from the City for lost income to the owners is a nail in the coffin of many mom and pop landlords. People have saved up for years to buy a property, and many that I’ve talked to live off the income. These people literally have no help coming to them, and are hurting just like their renters. It’s time for the City to step in and offer rent vouchers for any renter or business that cannot pay their rent, or allow the moratorium to expire at the… Read more »
good point. seems lost to most.
Los Angeles has also provided that tenants impacted by COVID 19 could have up to a year to pay back any rent arrears arising from unemployment.
Landlords won’t be renewing the leases….and will put properties up for sale. This is no solution.
Never thought I would see the day when Los Angeles outshines West Hollywood in taking care of its residents. The day of the virus was that day.
Not thought thru. I used to have a second house here that I rented out…..but after one bad tenant it wasn’t worth it here (laws in LA for renters are absurd). Owners still must pay the mortgage and get themselves into financial difficulty.
This sort of thinking creates chaos…..and no one is better off…..as the owners will look to sell taking rental properties off the market.