Long Beach may join the city of Los Angeles in enacting an emergency law to stop landlords from evicting tenants before a new state rent control law goes into effect in 2020.
The temporary moratorium would apply to no-fault evictions, meaning the tenant is current in rent and not posing any problems.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a similar policy on Oct. 22, and other cities are considering measures to stop people from being kicked out of their homes in the next two months.
State lawmakers approved Assembly Bill 1482, banning rent increases of more than 5% annually, plus inflation, and enacting eviction protections for California renters. The governor signed the measure into law on Oct. 8, and it goes into effect on Jan. 1.
The anticipation of the law “has led to increased eviction threats, no-fault notices, and evictions here in Long Beach,” Councilman Rex Richardson, who is sponsoring the city action, said in a statement Friday.
“Without this protection, Long Beach families will face the stress associated with uncertainty and housing instability through the holidays, further jeopardizing the progress the City has made on housing and homelessness,” the councilman said.
Richardson emphasized that the goal of Tuesday’s action is not to end all forms of eviction. “This ordinance is to protect tenants who, by no fault of their own, find themselves and their families in a compromising situation during the holiday season,” he said.
The City Council will discuss the moratorium at its meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Council Chambers, 411 W. Ocean Blvd.