California's pandemic-era eviction protections will continue for another three months.
The legislature approved its fourth extension of the law just hours before it was due to expire last night. It's designed to continue protecting tens of thousands of tenants who had already filed for state assistance by last night's deadline but have yet to receive it because of processing delays. The extension prevents local governments from enacting their own, stronger eviction protections. The measure was signed last night by Lieutenant Governor Elena Kounalakis, who is Acting Governor while Gavin Newsom is on a family vacation - she became the first woman in state history to sign a bill into law.
“We're not going to allow for Californians to suffer, to lose their homes or even their income because of application processing times,” said Assemblymember Tim Grayson, a Democrat from Concord who wrote the bill.
Tenants are not the only ones who have been suffering due to rent costs - some landlords have gone more than a year without receiving rent. The California Apartment Association, which says most of its members are small “mom and pop” landlords, said the state of California needs consistency with a statewide law.