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California’s Eviction Ban Ends

Protestors and one protestor carrying a poster that says "Cancel Evictions" with a black background and white text.
Joe Flood
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
Protestors including one carrying a poster, with a white background and black text, that says "Cancel Evictions".

As of last week, more than 300,000 households have applied for assistance asking for nearly three billion dollars. The state has helped roughly 55,000 households so far. It has also approved nearly a billion dollars from the federal government, which is in the process of being paid.

After more than a year, statewide eviction protection ended on Sunday. Landlords have regained the right to evict tenants for nonpayment. But removing a tenant during the evolving pandemic is much more complicated and costly than in pre-COVID times.

More than 700,000 California households are still two-and-a-half billion dollars behind in rent. That’s according to a recent National Equity Atlas analysis. And some advocates are warning of a wave of evictions.

Some cities and counties have ongoing protections for renters.

And the state is urging landlords and tenants to apply for more than five billion dollars in rent relief. Renters can apply through March.

Hamiintamc! I am Maara'yam (Serrano), Kumeyaay, and white. I was born and raised in my ancestral territory that is now known as San Bernardino in Southern California. I am a recent graduate of Scripps College where I majored in Sociology and took many classes in Media Studies. I was first introduced to public radio, podcasting, and journalism in my first year of college when I worked for WERS 88.9 FM in Boston, MA. After transferring to Scripps, I found other academic studies like social justice, political economy, Indigenous history and resistance, and Indigenous language revitalization. Post grad I have decided to return my way back to the public radio and journalism world and I am most excited to cover stories about California Indigenous people, language revitalization, and Indigenous politics. I am grateful to now be hosted on the unceded ancestral territory of the Ohlone people in Yelamu (San Francisco). In my free time, I enjoy collecting records, reading Indigenous novels and books, going on walks with my Siberian Husky, and drinking way too much coffee. Hakup a'ai ami' pahi'kow tan hiiv!