Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
With California's moratorium on evictions set to expire, about 240,000 homes or two million people statewide are at risk of losing their homes, so a group of lawmakers is seeking to prevent this catastrophe at least until the end of this year.
Proposed AB-15, introduced in December by San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu, would prohibit landlords from evicting tenants financially harmed by the pandemic until Dec. 31, 2021.
This bill expands and improves on AB-3088, an agreement also proposed by Chiu, approved by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 31, 2020, which left some loopholes on the issue of evictions and is set to expire Jan. 31.
As such, the AB-15 proposal would prohibit landlords from evicting tenants financially harmed by the pandemic until December 31, 2021, and they would have until that date to pay 25 percent of the back rent they have accrued.
"The possibility of tens of thousands of people being forced from their homes would increase the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading and having devastating health consequences. We cannot allow that to be California's fate," Chiu said.
Debra Carlton, lobbyist for the California Apartment Association, said that with such a measure the owners will not be able to survive this year, so it is necessary a more dynamic proposal or the guarantee that they will receive financial aid.
Notably, California tenants owe about $1.7 billion in back rent, according to a Federal Reserve Bank estimate, and this amount could grow significantly in the coming months.
Should the current moratorium expire at the end of January, tenants who can pay 25 percent of the rent due since September will be able to remain in their apartment.
Chiu also introduced a second bill, AB-16, which would provide unspecified rent relief for those facing debt for complying with AB-15, should it be enacted into law.
AB-16 would require tenants to pay 25% of their rent owed between September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, to avoid eviction, with any remaining amount owed to the landlord becoming a civil debt.
