KQED article excerpts highlight what renters and mortgage owners are facing in California in August

KQED article excerpts highlight what renters and mortgage owners are facing in California in August.

The backdoor lobbying is what reporters in and near Sacramento should be covering.

"A federal eviction moratorium put in place at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic expired last week, and the extra $600 a week in federal Unemployment Insurance benefits are set to run out this week. With Republicans and Democrats in Congress at odds over how much to keep paying people who are out of work, renters, lawmakers and advocates across the country are raising the alarm about a possible wave of evictions."

"Renters in California are protected, for now, by state and local eviction moratoriums. But some of those provisions are set to expire in August. Most notably, the California Judicial Council announced that its statewide eviction moratorium could sunset as soon as Aug. 14. The provision has been in place since April, and prevents court actions on evictions and judicial foreclosures, effectively halting most evictions in the state."

"With the Aug. 14 deadline looming, state leaders are now scrambling to come up with long-term fix that would protect renters and property owners who have lost income during the pandemic."



"Governor Gavin Newsom said that he is working with state legislative leaders to craft a plan. He specifically named Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, and state Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, both of whom authored renter and landlord protection bills that are scheduled for committee hearings on Aug. 12. A deal from the governor and the Legislature is likely to include elements of both of their bills."

"Assembly Bill 1436, co-authored by Chiu, would bar landlords from evicting tenants for up to 90 days after the state of emergency is lifted, and would prohibit landlords from using nonpayment of rent during the pandemic as grounds for an eviction in the future. It would also give tenants 15 months to pay back rent from that time period."

"Chiu announced this week that the bill has been updated to include protections for property owners as well. The bill would allow owners of properties with four units or less to receive a year of mortgage forbearance — reduced or delayed payments. The timeline would be capped at six months for larger properties."

“Mortgage owners are experiencing particular hardships during this pandemic, and particularly property owners who rely on rent from their tenants to get by and make their mortgages,” Chiu said. “We can’t afford to have a wave of evictions and foreclosures like we did during the great recession.”

"More than 4 million renters in California have slight or no confidence that they will be able to pay their rent next month, according to a survey from the Census Bureau. More than 1.7 million California homeowners are similarly concerned about making their mortgage payments."

"Senate Bill 1410, authored by Caballero, would give landlords tax credits to make up for missed rent payments. Tenants would then have 10 years to pay back their back rent to the state."

"But Chiu acknowledged the Legislature is working on a tight timeline. To buy more time, he suggested the Judicial Council could consider extending its moratorium until the end of August, which coincides with the end of the legislative session."

“I am concerned that if we’re not able to get an agreement with the governor and the Legislature by Aug. 14, you could very well see a rush to the courts of landlords filing eviction notices for tenants who have been unable to pay rent in recent months,” Chiu said. "That could be catastrophic. We have to avoid a wave of mass evictions. That would be terrible for homelessness, for this pandemic and COVID-19 spread.”

https://www.kqed.org/news/11830937/stressed-about-paying-august-rent-check-here-first