Renters Alliance – The Voice of Multifamily Residents in Beverly Hills Since 2017

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How Beverly Hills Tenants Lost Local COVID-19 Eviction Protections

October 5, 2020 Mark Elliot

The ‘Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020’ (AB 3088) was enacted on August 31st to protect COVID–19 affected tenants from eviction. And just in the nick of time: just hours later the California courts would resume processing evictions for non-payment of rent! But lawmakers had another motive: to make COVID–19 evictions policies consist statewide by preempting local measures (like the Beverly Hills eviction moratorium) under certain circumstances. Now it looks like Beverly Hills unwittingly played into the hands of the state and ceded authority over our own COVID–19 protections.

News

AB 3088: State Law Preempts Beverly Hills Moratorium on Eviction for Non-Payment

October 3, 2020October 6, 2020 Mark Elliot AB 3088, eviction moratorium

Governor Newsom signed AB 3088 at the end of August to establish a statewide framework for delaying and repaying back rent due to COVID-19 financial distress. The important legislation also defined a new process by which tenants request forbearance and imposed a deadline for the repayment of all rent due. The legislation explicitly preempts local measures like our Beverly Hills moratorium that has been in place since late March. Or doesn’t it preempt?

Commentary

Renters Alliance Endorses Proposition 21

September 25, 2020 Mark Elliot Proposition 21, Rental Affordability Act

On the November ballot is Proposition 21, “The Rental Affordability Act.” Every tenant should support this ballot measure because it will roll back many, though not all, of the limits on rent control adopted by our landlord-friendly legislature in Sacramento. Nearly every pro-tenant bill each session is shot down by legislators who are not tenants and don’t understand tenant concerns. This by-the-people initiative bypasses the legislature to amend key sections of landlord-tenant law with rental affordability as the top priority. (Heck, it’s right there in the name.) Renters Alliance urges a YES vote on Prop 21!

Commentary

Trump’s Executive Order: Too Little for Tenants, and Late Too

September 21, 2020September 22, 2020 Mark Elliot Donald Trump, eviction moratorium

The president of the United States on August 8th signed an executive order “to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, residential evictions and foreclosures during the ongoing COVID–19 national emergency.” The rationale was to prevent the “further spread of COVID–19,” but the order didn’t specify any measure to stem the expected wave of evictions. Namely there was no actual prohibition on eviction for non-payment and no provision for subsidies to help tenants. So what did this executive order accomplish exactly?

News

Beverly Hills OKs $1M Rent Subsidy Program

September 16, 2020September 25, 2020 Mark Elliot Julian Gold, qualified tenant, rent subsidy, Robert

Beverly Hills tenants who have been affected by COVID–19 may find relief in a new city rent subsidy program. First proposed two years ago as a general subsidy for rent-burdened tenants, the refashioned program is scoped-down in reach but scaled-up in benefit. City council at its September 15th meeting agreed to throw as much as $1 million toward rent-relief program to provide $1,000 for at least three months to tenants affected by COVID–19 measures. While tenants seeking relief will likely have to wait a month to get it, we do know something about program particulars.

News

Watch Landlord Stephen Copen Unlawfully Evict His Tenant

September 8, 2020September 9, 2020 Mark Elliot 611 Gayley, Naghmeh Makhani, no-just-cause eviction, Stephen Copen

Landlord Stephen T. Copen was arrested and booked last Monday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office after forcefully evicting a tenant from his 611 Gayley Avenue property. He was charged with misdemeanor vandalism for tossing his tenant’s property out of the unit and allegedly causing $2k in damage. Not only was this eviction illegal (there was no court order), but it occurred despite the City of LA’s eviction moratorium.

News

California Courts Again Are Open for Eviction Proceedings

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020 Mark Elliot COVID-19, eviction moratorium

Tenants who may have viewed the Superior Court’s pause on evictions as a backstop to our local eviction moratorium should know that eviction cases (and filings) will proceed as of September 1st. An amended rule by the court’s Judicial Council on August 13th imposes a sunset clause on its Emergency rule #1 promulgated in April to pause evictions. It may sound arcane but it augurs some pain for tenants who are at risk of displacement during the pandemic.

News

Heatwave is Here!

August 16, 2020 Mark Elliot air conditioning, heat advisory

Summer heat has arrived and the region is baking. Here in Beverly Hills we will see temps rise well into the 90s. That makes it especially uncomfortable to be in an old apartment without air conditioning. What can be done? We have a few suggestions.

Commentary

Renters Alliance Position on Mandatory Rent Repayment Plans: A Bad Idea!

May 5, 2020May 5, 2020 Mark Elliot COVID-19, eviction moratorium

City council will discuss modifying the urgency ordinance to possibly implement something like a mandatory rent-repayment plan for tenants who seek forbearance of rent due to COVID-19 emergency measures. No other major California city imposes the requirement as a condition for assistance because it means committing the tenant to an additional monthly financial obligation (on top of the regular rent) at a time when economic uncertainty is at its highest. Here are the points I made to city council.

Analysis

The Mandatory Rent Repayment Plan: No Good Option for Tenants

May 4, 2020July 31, 2020 Mark Elliot eviction moratorium

Tuesday afternoon city council will consider modifying the urgency ordinance that sets the terms for the moratoriums on eviction for non-payment. The agenda item A–2 is titled ‘Consideration of Modifications to the City’s Urgency Ordinance 20-O–2808.’ We could have missed this important discussion had we not read through each of the five meeting agendas on the council calendar that day. Good thing we noticed: up for discussion is a proposal to make a rent repayment plan mandatory for tenants who delay paying the rent.

News

Mandated Moratorium Rent Repayment Plans? A Solution in Search of a Problem!

May 4, 2020May 5, 2020 Mark Elliot eviction moratorium, Julian Gold, NMHC

On Tuesday afternoon’s city council meeting agenda is an item dryly titled, ‘Consideration of Modifications to the City’s Urgency Ordinance 20-O–2808.’ Proposed for council consideration is a major change to the terms of the city’s residential eviction moratorium: A tenant who asks for rent forbearance could have to sign on to a rent repayment plan in order to receive it. Here’s why that is a solution in search of a problem!

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Explainers

Proposition 21’s Rental Affordability Act: What You Need to Know

Courts Can Process Evictions. What Does That Mean for Tenants?

Moratorium on the Rent Increase: What You Need to Know

Moratorium on No-Fault Eviction: What It Means

Moratorium on Eviction for Non-Payment: What You Need to Know

How Beverly Hills Tenants Lost Local COVID-19 Eviction Protections

AB 3088: State Law Preempts Beverly Hills Moratorium on Eviction for Non-Payment

Renters Alliance Endorses Proposition 21

Trump’s Executive Order: Too Little for Tenants, and Late Too

Beverly Hills OKs $1M Rent Subsidy Program

Watch Landlord Stephen Copen Unlawfully Evict His Tenant

California Courts Again Are Open for Eviction Proceedings

Heatwave is Here!

Renters Alliance Position on Mandatory Rent Repayment Plans: A Bad Idea!

The Mandatory Rent Repayment Plan: No Good Option for Tenants

Mandated Moratorium Rent Repayment Plans? A Solution in Search of a Problem!