Both renters and landlords continue to struggle as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, spurring stay-at-home orders and ravaging California’s economy.

Given these hardships, CAA will continue to work with the governor and Legislature to craft temporary policies that keep tenants in their homes but also compensate landlords for the housing they are required to provide to renters affected by the pandemic.

An extension of the eviction moratorium, regardless of its duration, must include reimbursements for landlords who have provided housing with zero-to-little compensation under tenant protections tied to the coronavirus.

It is paramount that California and its local governments distribute federal rental aid quickly so that rental property owners can pay their own bills, including mortgages, taxes, utilities, and employees.

However helpful, those federal dollars will provide only a fraction of the money owed to landlords who have gone months without collecting any rent or only partial payments. An extension of the moratorium must include additional state funding to compensate landlords and keep the rental housing industry viable. State eviction protections must also apply uniformly across California.

Allowing cities and counties to customize state policies for their own jurisdictions would lead to a hodgepodge of ordinances, making them difficult for the courts to reconcile and implement.