Tuesday’s vote extended the temporary ban to the end of February. Evictions that were served due to unit remodeling between Dec. 31 and Tuesday would be covered by the extended ban.
The Long Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to create an ordinance that could make it more expensive for landlords to evict tenants for remodels and require a 90-day notice for them to move.
A temporary moratorium on evictions caused by landlords remodeling units is set to expire at the end of December and the Long Beach City Council could adopt updates to an ordinance that would make displacing tenants for routine upgrades harder for landlords.
After months of pressure from renters and tenants rights organizations seeking to close the “substantial remodel loophole,” the council approved a temporary ban that could last through December while a long-term solution is worked out.
An agenda item being brought forward by council members Cindy Allen and Suely Saro is requesting that the city temporarily ban remodel evictions while tenant rights and landlord stakeholders can come to an agreement on a program that allows units to be remodeled while protecting tenants from being displaced.
34-year-old Anne Bergstedt said that an amendment to her lease that could force her emotional support pig off the property would likely put her in a unenviable position; unemployed and searching for an affordable, pig-friendly home.
The ordinance is expected to come back to the City Council for approval as early as Nov. 2, the day before Election Day.
Tenants found out their building was sold on Oct. 17. The next day half the units received eviction notices so WestStar Property Management could “rehabilitate.”
