L.A. allows tenant suits for evictions

BY EMILY ALPERT REYES

Tenants will soon have the right to sue landlords who violate restrictions that Los Angeles has placed on evicting renters during the coronavirus crisis, under a law passed Wednesday by the City Council.

Renters could potentially win penalties of up to $10,000 per violation — or $15,000 per violation if the tenant is disabled or a senior. The effort was about “giving the tenants a big stick,†Councilman Bob Blumenfield said.

After the vote, Council President Nury Martinez said in a statement that while good landlords are working to help tenants stay in their units, “I want the bad operators to know, today, the city of Los Angeles is putting you on notice.â€

Landlords are barred from evicting tenants who have been affected by the coronavirus, although the council has held off on imposing a blanket ban on evictions sought by activists.

The city attorney’s office said in a report that the new measure would help deter “bad conduct†by landlords such as posting eviction notices that cannot be legally enforced during the pandemic, a tactic that might nonetheless spur tenants to leave if they don’t understand their rights.

The law also prohibits landlords from pressuring tenants to hand over money from the federal stimulus or other relief programs. Tenant advocates have complained about landlords pushing those who can’t cover their rents during the COVID-19 pandemic to agree to unusual terms for repayment plans, including handing over money from stimulus checks.

The council voted 13 to 0 to approve the new law, after accepting an amendment from Councilman John Lee to give landlords 15 days to fix any violations before tenants can exercise their right to go to court. Tenant advocates celebrated the move.

Landlords are “notching up the pressure on these tenants who are extremely vulnerable in this time of crisis,†said Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, who said he had seen cases of landlords trying to demand stimulus money from their tenants. “It’s an extremely needed ordinance to protect tenants.â€

Several landlords phoned in to the meeting ahead of the vote, arguing that the measure would lead to costly and frivolous litigation. One complained she was losing money on a tenant who stopped paying rent long before the crisis.

“I feel our plight has been largely overlooked by this council,†the woman said. “We are not faceless corporations. We are individuals and small businesses.â€

The Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles argued that the measure would impose excessive penalties and exacerbate financial hardships for building owners, even if violations were minor or unwitting.

Council members alsovoted to prevent any rent increases in units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which limits annual increases on older apartments, for a year after the end of the emergency period. Mayor Eric Garcetti had already ordered a freeze on rent increases in such units, but that measure only lasted 60 days after the end of the emergency.

Some council members had also pushed unsuccessfully for the city to order a halt to rent increases in other apartments that are not covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance.