Los Angeles County is offering free legal services to tenants facing eviction.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance to provide free legal services to low-income tenants facing eviction in unincorporated areas. The board noted that the pilot program was well-received and stressed the need to actively protect residents who are at risk of being evicted from their homes.
As of the end of last year, the county government had provided free legal services to fight eviction to 3,500 tenants, allowing the tenants facing eviction lawsuits to receive legal representation without any financial burden. As a result, about one in two tenants (50%) who received free legal services were not evicted.
The Board of Supervisors is expanding the pilot Stay Housed LA program through the ordinance.
Under the ordinance, low-income residents in the jurisdiction will receive free legal representation if they receive an eviction notice or lawsuit.
It also calls for collaboration with the City of Los Angeles and community organizations, including those in the county’s jurisdiction. If the ordinance passes a final vote next month, it will go into effect on January 1 of next year.
Eligible for free legal services are residents who make 80% or less of the area median income and have received an eviction notice.
The ordinance also requires landlords to notify tenants of free legal services when they receive an eviction notice, and to post a sign in the rental property stating so. Failure to comply is a misdemeanor punishable by an $800 fine or six months in prison.
The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs is also emphasizing the need for tenant protection. The consumer department proposed making the pilot program permanent in April of last year, and in July of that year, the Board of Supervisors ordered a detailed policy implementation through an ordinance.
“Black and Latin communities experience the highest level of eviction than any other racial groups,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell of District 2, who sponsored the ordinance, emphasizing that all Los Angeles County residents, regardless of income, should have access to legal services.
According to the Board of Supervisors, nearly 10,200 tenants received eviction notices last year. Ninety percent of these had to encounter illegal procedures without legal representation.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
