Politics & Government
CA Gov. Newsom Halts Evictions Amid Coronavirus Emergency
California renters who have been impacted by the outbreak will have relief now through May 31, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday.
CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday an order halting the enforcement of eviction orders for renters impacted by the new coronavirus. The moratorium will be in effect now through May 31, starting in time to protect renters in advance of their April rent payments.
Landlords are prohibited from evicting tenants who can't pay rent due to coronavirus, but tenants will be obligated to repay rent in a timely manner after the moratorium is lifted, the governor's office said in a statement.
Tenants are required to notify landlords in writing in seven days or less that they can't pay all or part of their rent as a result of the outbreak.
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"Many Californians are experiencing or will experience substantial losses of income as a result of business closures, the loss of hours or wages, or layoffs related to COVID-19, hindering their ability to keep up with their rent," the order states.
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The moratorium is a step up from the order Newsom issued March 16, authorizing local governments to issue their own eviction moratoriums.
Tenant advocates were sharply critical of the decision and called on the governor to impose a unified, statewide moratorium, as Calmatters reported.
More than 30 California legislators signed a letter urging Newsom to issue a statewide eviction moratorium and saying local governments had failed to act quickly enough.
"During this emergency, our state needs one clear order that covers all tenants and does not
require proof of a COVID-related loss of income that may be difficult to document," they wrote.
Half of Californians are renters, according to 2017 statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Nearly six in ten are housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend at least a third of their income on rent.
Read the order here:
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