Los Angeles County landlords cannot evict tenants who open their doors to wildfire victims
Gov. Newsom Issues Executive Order Barring L.A. County Landlords from Evicting Tenants Housing Wildfire Victims
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Friday prohibiting landlords in Los Angeles County from evicting tenants who open their doors to wildfire victims.
“At a time when so many have been suddenly displaced, we need more housing and shelter than ever. Opening your place of residence to help shelter those in need is not only encouraged and generous, but deserves to be protected,” Newsom said in a statement.
Specifically, the order prohibits landlords from “using the unlawful detainer process… to evict a tenant for violating a term of their lease that would otherwise prohibit them from sheltering one or more people displaced by the recent emergency,” a news release said.
The order, however, doesn’t prohibit landlords from enforcing other parts of a tenant’s lease.
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Local leaders in the Los Angeles City Council have also taken steps to protect residents displaced by the deadly wildfires.
Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martínez introduced a motion that calls for a moratorium on evictions for tenants affected by the fires and a one-year pause on rent hikes through January 2026. Under the motion, any tenant impacted by the recent wildfires couldn’t be evicted, should it pass.
That motion is expected to be heard by the Housing and Homelessness Committee and then returned to the City Council for a vote in the coming weeks.
The governor’s executive order will be effective until March 8, 2025.
The Palisades and Eaton wildfires have killed 27 people and damaged over 17,000 structures.
Source: KTLA News
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