Evicted LA Tenants Could Get Legal Aid Under Council Proposal

LOS ANGELES — The City Council on Wednesday moved forward with a plan to craft a new ordinance and program that would give legal assistance to tenants who are facing eviction.

The unanimously approved motion, presented by Councilwoman Nithya Raman and several of her colleagues, instructs city staffers to create recommendations for a right-to-counsel ordinance and program and estimate the city's cost.

City officials will consider several options, including a law that could cover tenants making 80% of the area median income or less, and full legal representation for any covered tenants who are facing eviction, tenancy termination or suspension of housing subsidy.

According to LA's Right to Council Campaign, over 42,000 evictions are filed annually in Los Angeles County. Some 90 percent of LA tenants facing eviction have no legal representation, while 90 percent of landlords do.

Pandemic-era state eviction protections have already phased out and LA County's protections end March 31. Beginning in April, local landlords will be able to pursue eviction with 30 days notice, according to Cal Matters.

The news organization reported that across LA County, some 200,000 people owe a collective half-billion dollars in unpaid rent.

Landlords are pushing back against the proposal. Max Sherman, who represents the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said the overwhelming majority of evictions happen when tenants do not pay rent.

"If the city wants to stop evictions, the focus should be instead on direct rental subsidies that are owed by renters that can provide financial assistance to those renters, so then no eviction proceeds are needed and no attorney is needed by either party," Sherman said.

Pablo Estupiñan, the Right to Counsel Campaign director, called the motion "a step forward."

"We hope that it'll demonstrate that the right to counsel actually saves the city money in a cost-effective solution to preventing people from becoming homeless," Estupiñan said.

According to Estupiñan, similar ordinances are on the books in 18 other jurisdictions and have created a reduction in eviction cases.

"There's no doubt that our city is in the midst of homelessness and housing crisis," said Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who co-presented the motion. "It's time that we ensure that every tenant facing eviction has legal representation, not just those who have the wealth and resources to afford it."

The council will get an update on staff's work on the proposal at a future meeting.

City News Service contributed reporting.