Facing strong opposition from the California Apartment Association, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday opted not to take immediate action on a sweeping rent freeze and eviction moratorium proposal tied to recent wildfires but criticized as overly broad and lacking targeted relief.
Instead, the measure was referred back to the Housing and Homelessness Committee for further review, signaling ongoing concerns about its potential impact.
The committee could take up the issue as early as next week, though it remains unclear what revisions, if any, might be considered.
Councilman John Lee and Councilwoman Traci Park spoke against advancing the proposal, emphasizing its broad scope and lack of connection to those directly affected by recent fires. Councilmembers Tim McOsker, Bob Blumenfield, Katy Yaroslavsky, Heather Hutt, Imelda Padilla, and Adrin Nazarian also voiced concerns and advocated for further discussion before a final vote.
The proposal would prohibit evictions for non-payment of rent, allowing tenants to self-certify a fire-related hardship as justification for non-payment. Additionally, it includes a citywide rent freeze, mirroring previous COVID-era restrictions. The measure would also ban no-fault evictions, evictions related to unauthorized occupants or pets, and evictions for failure to obtain renters’ insurance through Jan. 31, 2026.
“We saw these types of policies abused in COVID, and it only undermines efforts to help those truly devastated by these tragic fires,” said Fred Sutton, CAA’s senior vice president of local public affairs. “Unlike COVID, there is no citywide unemployment crisis or forced shutdowns. There’s also no rental assistance fund, meaning tenants would be set up to incur large debt without a safety net.”
CAA argues that such measures are an overreach and exploit the wildfires for political purposes. Instead, the association urges the city to use funds from Measure ULA to provide direct rental assistance to those in genuine need.
CAA and local housing providers attended the meeting in large numbers, urging the council to reconsider the measure’s potential consequences. Their presence and testimony underscored landlords’ concerns about additional restrictions on rental housing.
“Let’s keep our focus on the real recovery and on efforts that don’t make this tragic situation worse,” Sutton said.
The association continues to encourage members to remain engaged as the proposal moves forward, emphasizing the importance of direct outreach to policymakers and urging them to reject the unnecessary and harmful proposal.
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