IN the spring of 2025, klah led a successful campaign to pass eviction protections in wake of the la wildfires.
emergency protections
we passed after the wildfires
In the wake of the devastating fires, renters in communities across LA County were displaced. Many tenants - including many Black and Brown Angelenos and immigrant workers - lost their homes in the fires. Additionally, thousands of those who lost their homes homeowners were entering the rental market. We were concerned that this surge in demand for housing would only compound our already-historic housing and homelessness crisis.
Businesses and commercial districts were also destroyed, leading to losses in income for many renters. Many immigrant service workers in particular lost their jobs when retail businesses burned. These renters needed help, to avoid falling behind on rent and ending up in the streets.
After the LA City Council failed to pass an ordinance, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted into law emergency eviction protections for tenants who were economically impacted by the fires.
The new law stated that tenants who were economically impacted by the fires should not be evicted for not paying their rent due between 2/1/25-7/31/25. This applied to tenants who: had lived in their unit since before 1/7/25, were not high-income, and had applied to unemployment/fire relief/jobs since the fires.
For example: A tenant lost their job in the fires and could pay March rent. The tenant needed to tell their landlord, in writing, that they couldn’t pay because of the fires. If the landlord tried to file an eviction against the tenant for not paying rent, the tenant could use this law as a defense in eviction court. The tenant had to later pay back any rent they didn’t pay during this period within a year.
LA Times:
Tenants demand protections as LA fires exacerbate housing crisis: ‘Huge source of stress’“The Eaton and Palisades fires that swept across LA county on 7 January leveled more than 10,000 structures and left tens of thousands of residents homeless. The crisis cratered supply in the rental market in a region already suffering from a severe affordable housing shortage. The housing squeeze affects not only displaced wildfire survivors but also tenants in eviction proceedings, who reported heightened harassment. As landlords engaged in predatory tactics, hiking rent by as much as 150%, community organizers and working-class tenants like Lopez have been urging elected officials to instate a countywide eviction moratorium and rent freeze.”
Read about the wildfire protections campaign in the press
LAist:
"New fire eviction protections sent back to committee as LA City Council again delays vote"“In a heated meeting Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to again delay a decision on giving new eviction protections to tenants who lost income because of the fires…
Those who support stronger post-fire rules on evictions and rent increases said if the vote keeps getting delayed, unemployed nannies and gardeners who lost their jobs in the Pacific Palisades could soon find themselves in eviction court.
“It is not a political agenda — I’m talking about people,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who co-wrote the proposal and represents District 1.”
LA Times:
"Are you a renter who lost income because of the fires? These are your protections"“What protections do I have? If you are a renter anywhere in Los Angeles County, landlords are not allowed to evict you for nonpayment of rent if you were financially harmed by the fires and meet several other qualifications.
For one, to receive these protections, your household must have made 150% or less of the area median income in 2024 (about $147,000 for a family of four) and the fires had to directly cause you to lose at least 10% of your household’s average monthly earnings.”