LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday postponed a vote on a proposal to provide eviction defense for nannies, gardeners and other residents who were impacted economically by January’s wildfires.
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who introduced the proposal last month alongside Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, said she heard the concerns from opponents and believes with the time granted, “we can come to a solution.”
The council voted 11-0 to continue the item to March 4.
Hernandez also said several labor unions have told her workers have lost income as a result of the January wildfires.
“Overall, 7,000 union members have been impacted by the fires per the labor community … as well as over 1,000 union members have lost their homes because of the fires,” she added.
Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson thanked Hernandez for working on a solution that will ensure people stay housed and also protect landlords by not placing a severe burden on them.
On Friday, council members were split 6-5 on whether to approve eviction protections for tenants. The proposal aims to provide a defense for non-payment of rent and no-fault evictions for tenants who could show proof of economic hardships as a result of the fire emergencies.
The proposal failed by one vote, as it needed at least seven to advance.
Soto-Martinez and Hernandez originally called for a rent-hike moratorium for one year and further protections against certain evictions — but those recommendations were removed after pushback from their colleagues and landlords.
The council referred the item to the Housing and Homelessness Committee, where it was refined.
“This motion has been cut and amended and whittled down,” Hernandez said. “It is a completely different motion but still with protections that are incredibly vital for our city.”
Hernandez introduced additional amendments to establish a three-month period for tenants to pay back rent and expedite the policy, but it was rejected in a 7-4 vote. She argued the proposal would not be invoking a “blanket, wide eviction moratorium,” which many landlords previously criticized and feared would hurt them.
“This is just a small Band-Aid to help folks stay in their housing so that more people don’t fall into this `eviction to homelessness’ pipeline,” Hernandez said.
Councilman John Lee said he could not support the proposal because of its “unintended consequences.” He argued such policies would ultimately worsen the city’s housing crisis.
Councilman Bob Blumenfield had concerns about how the Housing Department could verify whether a tenant experienced financial distress as a result of the wildfires.
Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, introduced an amendment to use unspent Measure ULA funds for emergency rental assistance. Her amendment failed in a 7-5 vote.
Councilwoman Imelda Padilla was present for Park’s amendment, but left the meeting afterward and did not vote on Hernandez’s request nor on the overall proposal. Councilman Adrin Nazarian and Tim McOsker were absent during Friday’s meeting.
Councilman Curren Price recused himself, as he is a landlord.
Lee also had criticized the lack of data to support the need for the proposed policy.
Housing officials said they did not have any figures at hand, but they estimated that evictions were on pace compared to 2024, with about 1,500 each month, he said.
Soto-Martinez said that was not the case. According to figures compiled by his office, the councilman said evictions increased to 2,400 so far between the start of the fires to last week.
“We’re talking about real people,” said Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who supported the proposal.
Jurado, a tenant rights attorney, emphasized that even if the policy were approved, landlords would still be able to continue eviction proceedings.
“It’s on the tenant to affirmatively defend,” she added.
Earlier last week, the council approved an ordinance temporarily prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants who have taken in unauthorized occupants or pets displaced by the January wildfires.
Under the ordinance, landlords will also be prohibited from raising rent solely on the basis of their tenants having unauthorized occupants or pets.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors implemented a similar policy for the unincorporated areas impacted by fires, which will be in effect until May 31, 2026.
Gov. Gavin Newsom previously issued an order prohibiting evictions of tenants who sheltered displaced individuals due to wildfires, though it did not include pets. His directive is set to expire March 8.
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