The Los Angeles City Council is set to vote on a proposal that would implement a one-year freeze on rent increases to safeguard residents displaced by the recent wildfires. The motion, spearheaded by Councilmembers Hernandez, Soto-Martinez, and Nazarian, aims to prevent evictions and financial hardship for those affected by the blazes.
The Los Angeles City Council will consider a one-year freeze on rent increases to prevent evictions of residents displaced by the recent wildfires. Council members Eunisses Hernandez, Hugo Soto-Martinez, and Adrin Nazarian introduced the motion calling for these protections a week after the fires erupted on January 7th.
If approved, the City Council would request the city attorney to draft an ordinance prohibiting certain types of evictions and implementing a rent-hike moratorium through January 31, 2026, for all apartments in the city. The proposal aims to support fire survivors by prohibiting evictions for non-payment of rent, no-fault evictions other than a government order to vacate, evictions related to having additional tenants and pets, and evictions based on failure to obtain renters' insurance. It would also cover tenants who have accommodated fire survivors. The L.A. Housing Department would be tasked with creating a process to verify whether a tenant or occupant was displaced or economically impacted by the fire emergencies. Landlords would not be allowed to increase rent for additional occupants in a unit for the same one-year timeline.Within a two-week span, fires erupted in the Hollywood Hills, San Fernando Valley, and West Los Angeles. The most significant fire, the Palisades Fire, ravaged the Pacific Palisades, burning 23,448 acres and claiming at least 12 lives. As of Wednesday, fire officials reported containment at 96%. The Palisades Fire destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged another 1,107, according to the latest information from Cal Fire. In their motion, elected officials cited a 'consistent pattern' seen after disasters like the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, where the median rent surged 44% in the year after the fires. They also pointed to the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, where rental prices jumped 20.1% in the two years following the disaster. The motion argues that California law, which outlaws rental increases greater than 10%, sunsets 30 days after the declaration of a state of emergency, creating an opportunity for landlords to exploit the situation. They claim to be seeing 'predatory' behavior from some property owners as rental prices on Zillow have jumped between 15% and 64%. The motion urges swift action from the city to address the crisis, ensuring that thousands of families do not face eviction or financial ruin during this vulnerable time.Soto-Martinez and Hernandez, alongside tenants impacted by the fires and other organizations, will hold a news conference at City Hall Wednesday morning to discuss their proposal.
RENT CONTROL WILDFIRE EVICTION LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL CALIFORNIA
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