Will Californias Eviction Moratorium Be Extended Beyond June 30?
The answer, most likely, is yes, but for how long and under what terms is still up in the air. Several lawmakers told CalMatters a decision could come late this week  only days before current protections are set to expire, after June 30. Rental assistance is the key here: The state has been doling out $2.6 billion its sitting on at a snails pace, while figuring out what to do with an additional $2.6 billion from the federal government. Since Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature passed the last round of eviction protections in late January, the state has distributed only about $50 million of its $1.4 billion pot, and received applications for only about half of that money. While centralized data is unavailable for the cities and counties $1.2 billion share, there are similar reports of a slow rollout. Key legislators are concerned about ending eviction protections before the bulk of those dollars have entered the pockets of the Californians who need it most, so theyre mostly hammering out new rules on eligibility and applications to make sure more rent relief gets out quicker. It doesnt make sense to allow evictions, when there are still billions of dollars available that could prevent those very evictions, said Assemblymember David Chiu, a Democrat from San Francisco who leads the Assembly Housing Committee and helped craft the original eviction moratorium last year. But the deal-making to extend the eviction moratorium has been slow and secretive. Tenant and landlord groups told CalMatters they have been shut out of negotiations, which are taking place between Assembly and Senate leaders and the governors office  similar to the last two rounds of negotiations. Policymakers have been pulled in many directions, but Im hopeful that the right conversations are happening, and were going to make progress before June 30, Chiu said. A deal could be unveiled as soon as today. Lawmakers will have to wait 72 hours from the time they get a bill on paper before taking a vote and getting something to the governor, which means Thursday is the earliest an extension could be finalized. That question is at the heart of the debate. Tenant advocates want to extend protections for as long as possible, while landlord groups want the opposite. Brian Augusta, legislative advocate for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, said the tenant side has asked the state to tie the end date to distribution of all available rental relief funds  which at the current pace would take several months, at least. In my mind, it would be a travesty to end these eviction protections before we get every dollar out the door, Augusta said. Landlord advocates are concerned about the same issue, but want protections to end by September.   Click here to read the full article from CalMatters.org