A local landlords’ group tried to get rid of two new city rules that protect renters, but a judge sided with the renters.
On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff denied a request from the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles for a preliminary injunction to stop the enforcement of two ordinances passed by the City Council to protect Los Angeles residents from eviction and homelessness.
Beckloff also let the tenant rights groups InnerCity Struggle and Community Power Collective join the city in defending the rules.
As COVID eviction protections ran out in February, the City Council passed the new permanent tenant protections. The Nonpayment Threshold Ordinance says that tenants can’t be kicked out for not paying rent unless they’re behind at least one month’s fair market rent.
The Relocation Assistance for Economic Displacement Ordinance says that landlords have to help tenants who have to move because their rent went up a lot.
In March 2023, the Apartment Association filed a plea to get rid of the laws.
Under the laws, Los Angeles residents can’t be kicked out for being a little late on their rent, and they can’t be forced to move because their rent went up too much without having to pay for moving and relocating.
“The new permanent tenant protections adopted by the LA City Council were part of a historic expansion of tenant rights in the city. They were meant to help keep thousands of tenants housed in a city where rent is getting more and more expensive,” said Stephano Medina, an attorney with Public Counsel.
Esmeralda Negrete, a single mother of three who lives in Boyle Heights and cares for her youngest child full-time because he has special needs, was happy with the decision.
“For my family, the emergency protections are an important safety net,” Negrete said. “What if my son gets sick again and can’t go to work? With these new rights, they can’t throw us out on the street just because we’re a little bit behind.”
Daniel Yukelson, the executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said that his group filed the preliminary injunction to stop the city’s two new tenant safety ordinances because “they break state law.”
Yukelson told City News Service that many people had to sell their retirement savings to keep their homes going while dealing with renters who didn’t pay. “The new laws that were passed make it easier for people to take advantage of owners and put them at risk.”
Yukelson said that preliminary injunction hearings are hard to win because judges want to see evidence in court before making a decision. He also said that the AAGLA will keep making a case to stop these laws.