Sup. Barger Statement Regarding Extension of Eviction Moratorium

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement in response to her vote to support the motion by Supervisors Shelia Kuehl and Hilda Solis, and amended by Supervisor Janice Hahn which extends the County’s eviction moratorium by three months:

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the public health officer closures created financial hardship and job losses for residents throughout Los Angeles County. The County has worked tirelessly, in partnership with our state and federal leaders, to provide vital resources for those who were negatively impacted. We continue to push for changes to the State’s rent relief program, to ensure that this significant funding has a real impact to help offset rental debt for tenants and provide relief for landlords. We are also hoping that the state will finally take action on its own eviction moratorium, which supersedes the County’s, to give our constituents clarity on what is next to come. In the meantime, we will continue to work with property owners, tenants and community-based organizations to prevent individuals from falling into homelessness and to find ways to bring relief to small, mom-and-pop landlords.

“With Governor Gavin Newsom’s full reopening last week, businesses large and small are ready to hire to capacity and provide jobs for residents. As the economy gets back to pre-pandemic levels, we should commit to phase out the eviction moratorium by September 30, 2021.”