Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood announced their support for a proposal that would extend eviction protections through June 30 for Californians applying for funds from the state's COVID rent relief program. Atkins and Rendon said the bill will get its first hearing on Monday.
Under current law, statewide eviction protections are set to expire on Friday -- just one day after the March 31st deadline for residents to apply for state rent relief.
Although the new proposal keeps the March 31 application deadline in place, it protects Californians from eviction while they wait for the state to process their paperwork. As of Tuesday, the state had distributed funds to about 214,000 households -- fewer than half of the nearly half-million that had applied for relief -- prompting advocates to warn of an impending "eviction tsunami."
The bill also prevents local governments from passing their own eviction protections until July 1 at the earliest -- a major reason why the powerful California Apartment Association, which represents landlords, investors and developers -- supports it, according to the Associated Press.