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Friends,
Last night, the City of Long Beach passed an emergency measure to temporarily prohibit no-fault evictions until December 31st. (A no-fault eviction is when a landlord evicts a tenant who has not violated the terms of their renting agreement.) This moratorium will also apply retroactively to notices received before the emergency measure was passed and expire on or after November 12th: for example, if a tenant received a notice to vacate within 30, 60, or 90 days, and that window expires on or after November 12th, the eviction notice no longer applies.
This is a win for working families, who can rest assured that they will be able to stay in their homes for the holidays.
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1482, also known as the Tenant Protection Act of 2019. When the law takes effect on January 1, 2020, rent hikes in California will be limited to 5 percent per year, plus the local rate of inflation. But until then, the onus falls on cities to stem the tide of unjust and illegal notices from the landlords trying to force tenants out onto the street before the end of the year. These emergency measures in Long Beach will protect families from many of those predatory actions.
This is a crucial victory for the organizers and tenants who have advocated tirelessly for Long Beach to take action on housing. Tenants led this effort through rent strikes, canvassing, educational forums, and direct engagement with decision-makers. This is a major step that will only build momentum for more tenant protections in the future.
LAANE and the Long Beach Coalition are proud to have worked alongside housing advocates to keep tenants from being exploited. We know that housing and economic justice are intrinsically linked and that keeping working families in their homes is key to economic stability. As we continue to build a more healthy and just Long Beach community, housing rights will be a core component of our work.
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