Governor Gavin Newsom and Legislative leaders signed off on an agreement to extend the current COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium past the previous expiration date of January 31, 2021 through June 20, 2021. There are critical distinctions to be made.
On Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, the Governor’s office stated, “We are announcing an agreement to extend the eviction moratorium in California through June 30, 2021 – protecting tenants and small landlords from losing their housing as the nation continues to confront the pandemic. We are also moving forward as quickly as possible to deploy California’s share of the latest federal stimulus bill – ensuring that up to $2.6 billion in renter aid is administered quickly, equitably and accountably.”
While both residential and commercial tenants have benefited from the moratorium, the hierarchy of state -county-city has to hold the standards from the top.
According to Culver City Mayor Alex Fisch, “My understanding is that the state has only authorized cities to extend the commercial moratorium through March 31, 2021, and we have fully used that authority. The latest deal on residential evictions would extend existing protections to June 30 for those who qualify.”
If the city can opt to follow the newest date change from the state, but they would simply be reinforcing a standard already mandated.
As with all COVID related legislation, the city and/or county can choose to do more, but not less, than the standard set at the state level.
Judith Martin-Straw
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