News: Fred Sutton

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A newly drafted ordinance intended to thwart tenant harassment in Los Angeles should also protect ethical landlords from being unjustly targeted, said Fred Sutton, CAA’s senior vice president of public affairs.

Tagged: Los Angeles

Long Beach on Tuesday unanimously approved a pathway for legalizing housing units that have been developed over time on existing structures but without building permits. These units are generally carved out of existing spaces, such as laundry rooms or storage areas, or have resulted from modest additions to existing multifamily buildings. The units may be safe and habitable yet remain out-of-compliance with underlying zoning regulations and development standards.

Tagged: Los AngelesLong Beach

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 5-0 to extend its eviction moratorium measures through February. The L.A. County action includes anticipation of the possible expiration of AB 3088, which provides statewide eviction protections and rent deferral guidelines for COVID-19 affected renters.

Tagged: Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council this week postponed a decision that could nearly double the city’s annual apartment inspection fee. The council had been scheduled to vote on the proposed fee increase Wednesday. The delay came after CAA recently issued a letter outlining its opposition to the proposed fee hike. Among other things, the letter pointed to the poor timing of raising fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city agreed to revisit the matter at an undetermined date. At issue is whether the council should authorize the Housing Department to raise the code enforcement fee from $43.32 to $81.59 per… Read More

Tagged: Los Angeles

Despite immense opposition from CAA, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted to prolong its COVID-19 related rent freeze by more than a year, and likely much longer. Under the council’s decision, the rent freeze, which applies to locally rent controlled housing, will remain in place for one year following the expiration of the local COVID-19 emergency. The emergency, though, lacks a definite end date. The council also updated its eviction moratorium to give tenants a private right of action against a landlord, a move expected to create a cottage industry of lawsuits against property owners. The private right… Read More

Tagged: Los Angeles

In the city of Long Beach, planning a major renovation project is no longer enough to terminate a tenancy. Now, city landlords must also have a permit in-hand before proceeding with this type of eviction — a requirement that could delay remodeling projects. The city of Los Angeles also is pursuing this type of ordinance. Under AB 1482, the newly imposed statewide rent cap and “just cause” eviction law, landlords can file no-fault evictions for a few select reasons, including to perform substantial renovations to their properties.

Tagged: Long BeachLos Angeles

A Los Angeles city councilman wants to lower the annual rent cap to 60% of the Consumer Price Index, the same formula used in San Francisco. At present, the annual cap on rent increases for rent controlled housing in L.A. comes to 4%, a figured determined by the rate of inflation. The city’s ordinance also includes a 3% floor, meaning rents can never be capped below 3% no matter what happens to CPI.

Tagged: Los Angeles

The city of Long Beach released a report this week on a potential affordable-housing mandate for new developments. The mandate could come through an inclusionary-housing ordinance. Such ordinances require a portion of units in new developments be priced at below-market levels.

Tagged: Los AngelesLong Beach

Long Beach may soon require that new developments in the city include a certain amount of affordable housing.   That mandate could come from an inclusionary-housing ordinance. The city commissioned an economic feasibility study on the policy and recently finished community workshops on how inclusionary housing might be applied in Long Beach.    

Tagged: Long BeachLos Angeles

Despite massive turnout and opposition from the rental housing industry, the Culver City Council on Monday voted 4-1 to pursue a yearlong, 3% cap on rent increases. City staff will now draft the rent-freeze ordinance, with a formal council vote expected in August. If approved, the ordinance would then have a retroactive effective date of June 24. 

Tagged: Los Angeles