Elected Officials, Tenants Rights Groups Push Rent Moratorium

In an effort to aid tenants struggling due to work stoppages caused by COVID-19, Vice Mayor Tyron Hampton, Councilman Victor Gordo and tenant advocacy groups are proposing a temporary eviction moratorium to protect residents who can document that they cannot pay rent due to a substantial loss of income related to the virus.

It is not known how the proposal will be made, there is no council meeting set for the next two weeks.

“The COVID-19 situation is affecting all of us. One of the biggest impacts we are likely to see will be the impact on our community and its economy,” Hampton told Pasadena Now on Sunday. “Because of this, I will request that the City Council institute a moratorium on evictions for residents and business owners who can document that the COVID-19 situation has created a demonstrable financial hardship for them.”

Hampton said he would ask the City Council to write a letter to the federal government in support of a mortgage and loan moratorium, as this situation also stands to have an impact on our property owners.”

“We’re closing the borders,” said Leslie Appleton Young, vice president and chief economist for the California Association of Realtors.

“It has real life implications for people that are going to be laid off. So I think some kind of temporary suspension of mortgage payments is something that sounds certainly possible. I assume that it will definitely be on the table and talked about along with a number of other things.”

The Pasadena Tenants Union (PTU) has also called on the City Council and Mayor to pass an emergency moratorium due to COVID-19.

“The unhoused and precariously housed face a far greater risk from COVID-19 than the securely housed,” said PTU spokesperson Allison Henry. “We cannot allow more people to fall into homelessness during this national emergency. Doing so not only violates the dignity of our neighbors but also risks their health and the health of our entire city.”

The group has created an online petition calling for Pasadena’s elected officials to enact a sweeping moratorium against the eviction of any tenant in the city of Pasadena, or the shut off of their utilities for 60 days.

The city continues to work with its utility customers to make reasonable payment arrangements should they have difficulty paying for services.

Santa Monica, San Francisco and Seattle have enacted similar moratoriums.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, Santa Monica will continue to enact policy changes that will ensure that our residents can weather this crisis,”said City Manager and Director of Emergency Services Rick Cole, who once served on the Pasadena City Council. “Our community is over 70 percent renters and this order provides our them the security of housing during this difficult time. We recognize that the vast majority of landlords will act responsibly, but this order serves to ensure no renter loses their home due to a crisis beyond their control. Everyone needs to feel safe to stay home if they are sick, care for sick loved ones, and have access to essential services.”

Locally, skyrocketing rents have long been an issue with some one-bedroom apartments costing $3,000 to rent. The PTU and the Glendale Tenants Union unsuccessfully pushed for rent control last year.

The Pasadena efforts were supported by the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education which has been forced to close schools, cut programs and layoff teaches due to declining enrollment as parents move east where housing is more affordable.

The PUSD has lost 1,170 students over the past five years. The district makes about $10,000 per student in average daily attendance funds from the state.

“If the City Council and Mayor are telling us that we are all in this together, then this request should be an easy item for them to support,” Henry said. “We know that health outcomes, outside of a national public health emergency, are compromised by being homeless. In the wake of an unprecedented health emergency such as COVID19, keeping people in their homes should be seen as a desired health outcome with benefits to all Pasadena residents.”