More than 50,000 eviction notices set to explode across Los Angeles County this year will lead to a huge increase in the number of people being ousted from their homes, swelling the population of homeless on the streets, according to a coalition of tenant rights groups.
In a stopgap measure aimed at preventing more people from becoming homeless, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 11, unanimously approved a plan to extend free legal representation to qualified tenants who’ve received eviction notices and reside in unincorporated areas.
The board directed the Office of County Counsel, in conjunction with the county’s director of Consumer and Business Affairs, to craft a Right to Counsel (RTC) ordinance that would provide free lawyers, based on income eligibility, to those who are served unlawful detainers in unincorporated L.A. County. The draft ordinance is due back before the board in 10 months.
While having a lawyer doesn’t automatically prevent an eviction, tenants groups and the board agreed that a right to counsel would reduce evictions, promote mediation between landlords and renters, and could keep more people in their homes. Apartment owner trade groups see it as making the problem worse.
This year’s Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count found that unhoused people in the county increased by 9% over 2022, with 3,000 eviction notices each month, said First District Supervisor Hilda Solis. Studies show that 67% of the homeless were struggling with paying rent before they ended up on the street, she said.
“The county needs to protect our residents and tenants in the unincorporated areas,” Solis said. “This is a massive problem for our most vulnerable tenants: Getting legal counsel.”
The board heard from close to 100 speakers, many of whom had been served eviction notices but did not have access to an attorney because they could not afford one. A coalition of tenant rights groups testified that the proposed “Right…
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