Los Angeles County extended the pandemic-based eviction moratorium, days before it was set to expire.

With the original January 31 date looming, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on a two month extension, keeping renters from being evicted due to back-due rent, or be subject to rent increases until at least March 31.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath co-authored the motion and said it was important to keep the “tenant protections” as residents still recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still seeing the impacts of the pandemic on our community,” Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. “COVID is not over. People are still getting sick, they’re still out of work, they’re still losing jobs and unfortunately still dying from COVID. The protections before us today will keep L.A. County residents safer and healthier. They keep our communities functioning, and thriving and stable.”

Horvath added that there would be a potential to exacerbate the issues around homelessness if tenants are not protected against evictions.

In addition to the moratorium, the motion will allow for research and reporting on possible rent relief programs that would “prioritize tenants most at risk of evictions.”

Horvath said that while none of the measures being taken are long-term solutions, it gives them time to work on a wider scale rental assistance program.

“The consequences of doing nothing could be dire,” Horvath said. “Nobody should be made unhoused by this crisis.”

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