A bill once considered one of this year’s most threatening state proposals for California’s rental housing providers has been significantly rewritten following strong opposition from the California Apartment Association. 

AB 246 by Assemblyman Isaac G. Bryan, D-Los Angeles, was introduced in January and quickly drew concern as a Rental Housing Killer bill. The proposal initially sought to freeze rents in Los Angeles County for one year following wildfire emergencies. After pushback from CAA and its members, the bill was first amended to impose a 3% rent cap through March 1, 2026. Then, on April 10, all rent control provisions were removed from the bill. 

As rewritten, the legislation now focuses solely on eviction protections during interruptions in federal Social Security payments. 

Under the amended language, if a disruption causes Social Security benefits to be delayed by three or more calendar days, the Department of Finance would notify lawmakers and the courts. During such a “declared interruption,” courts would be barred from issuing eviction summonses in cases of nonpayment if a tenant experiences a loss of income due to the delay and submits a signed declaration of financial distress. 

The bill also changes the requirements for 3-day notices to pay or quit served during the interruption, extending the response period to 15 court days and requiring landlords to include a state-issued hardship declaration form. 

These protections would apply to both rental housing and mobile homes and remain in effect until Jan. 20, 2029.