This week, the City Council voted unanimously to ensure that tenants who have applied for emergency rental assistance are not evicted while their applications are in process.
In 2022, Los Angeles voters approved Measure ULA, funding the City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program through an added tax on home sales over $5 million, the so-called “mansion tax.” Although applications for ULA assistance exceed the amount of tax collected to date, millions of dollars that have already been collected for this purpose have not yet been disbursed. Meanwhile many tenants who have applied for assistance are facing imminent eviction.
The amended ordinance provides that “landlords be prohibited from evicting those tenants until a determination of ULA application status has been made and funds have been distributed to the landlord, if approved.” It also states that landlords who have accepted ULA funds cannot evict tenants who owe less than one month’s rent after disbursement of ULA funds. For information on Emergency Rental Assistance, visit the Los Angeles Housing Department.