San Mateo County advocates call for more housing protections

Lawmakers supported an eviction moratorium in response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that was set to expire by end of day Thursday, March 21, but state legislators overwhelmingly backed Assembly Bill 2179, which extends eviction protections for an additional three months.

But those protections only apply to renters who’ve applied for financial relief through the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program by Thursday’s application deadline and are still waiting on their claims to be processed. Friedman said more than 6,000 San Mateo County residents fall into that category, noting some have waited up to eight months.

Bart Charlow, CEO of the nonprofit Samaritan House, which has handled rent relief applications for a number of local jurisdictions, shared Friedman’s concerns, pointing out that organizations like his have been inundated with requests for support but will be unable to meet the demand with what funds remain.

With inflation spiking the cost of everyday necessities, applications for rent relief have doubled month over month, Charlow said during a recent food distribution event. Reflecting on inflation again Thursday, Charlow questioned how those hardest hit by the pandemic can be expected to repay their debts when their finances continue to be hit.

“We can’t afford any more homelessness in our county nor California. It’s a small relief that the state eviction moratorium will be extended,” Charlow said in a statement. “There’s a panic-flood of still hard-pressed renters into agencies like Samaritan House for help. The COVID economic downturn is far from over, especially for low-income workers, who owe so much in back rent.”

Stoking additional concern is a portion of AB 2179 that overrides any local ordinances that may have offered more protections to renters than the state’s bill if they were instituted after Aug. 19, 2020.

Faith in Action leadership rallied more than a week ago and called on officials to pass legislation that protected people who cannot pay their future rent starting in April, to continue offering rent relief for those in need of assistance in future months and to protect renters against harassment from landlords while they wait for relief to be processed.

Without stronger state action, Friedman said the group is now looking to local leaders to take action where they can by passing comprehensive anti-harassment ordinances and to adopt a coordinated strategy among core agencies, cities and the county to distribute additional funds that will cover unpaid rents from April through December.

Meanwhile, local electeds representing the Peninsula at the state level said they were pleased to see AB 2179 passed and signed, providing additional protections for the thousands currently waiting for funds to be delivered, some waiting up to three months.

State Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, said he was proud of his support for the extension and highlighted the bipartisan support that helped push the measure through the Senate with a 36-1 vote Thursday, and the Assembly with a 60-0 vote earlier this week.

“That’s a clear signal of how hard the pandemic slammed California renters and how much need still exists,” Becker said in a statement. “The legislation we passed protects people who are in the pipeline — they’re either waiting for relief or recently applied for it.”

Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, said he cast his vote in favor of AB 2179 with his constituents in mind. For many California residents, he said, the state moratorium is the only thing keeping them in their homes, noting, “No one benefits from a wave of preventable evictions and homelessness caused by bureaucratic delays.”

Similarly, Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, said in a statement that the bill is “providing stable housing for the tenants who are eligible for assistance as long as they applied by the March 31 deadline.”

“While California is experiencing a strong economic recovery in general, many of our residents have not been as fortunate and continue to struggle to make ends meet,” Mullin said.

Mullin said he also joined other state officials in signing a letter to Gustavo Velasquez, the director of Housing and Community Development, encouraging him to take necessary steps in speeding up the processing of claims to more quickly get funds into the hands of those who desperately need them.

Beyond the current legislative action, Berman, like local advocates, also noted much work lies ahead for local and state officials in combating the housing crisis.

“While the COVID-19 Rent Relief program certainly has a lot of catch-up work to do in the next three months. The state and local jurisdictions also have urgent work to do to continue to address our housing affordability crisis,” Berman said.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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