OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Already a city with robust renter protections, Oakland extended an eviction moratorium until July to prevent thousands of people being evicted and banned rent hikes until July 2024.
The Oakland City Council debated Tuesday whether to allow the city’s Covid-19 eviction ban to expire at the end of April, and enhance the ordinance requiring landlords to show “just cause” for evicting a tenant.
The issue has drawn significant crowds as it moved through committee, with a clear divide between some local and regional property owners and tenant advocates. The advocates say the very high cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area is leading to increasing rates of eviction and homelessness, particularly among Black residents.
The California Legislature enacted bills to provide relief for tenants and housing providers during the pandemic, and property owners were still permitted to file unlawful detainer actions for fault and just cause.
Two lawsuits in Oakland federal court over the countywide eviction ban are ongoing, with a judge denying landlords' request for summary judgment this past November. The judge found ordinances prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants during the Covid-19 pandemic are temporary and do not violate the U.S. Constitution, and state law allows municipalities to enact renter-friendly eviction restrictions.
San Francisco has also faced a state court lawsuit by landlords over its permanent ban on evictions of people unable to pay...
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