We call on the legislature and Governor to pass AB-15 or another strong temporary ban on evictions due to COVID-19.
Cupertino For All recognizes that extending and strengthening our state’s eviction moratorium is not just good policy, but a moral imperative. Exposing tenants to deadly risks because of economic circumstances beyond their control while the state has the money to keep them in their homes would be unconscionable. We fully support the efforts of tenants’ rights organizations, public health officials, and California State Assembly members and Senators who have united to promote AB-15 which would extend the moratorium until December 31st 2021.
California is staring down a humanitarian crisis. Between 240,000 and 700,000 California households are at risk of eviction if state government cannot extend AB 3088’s eviction moratorium beyond January 31st. This moratorium has prevented landlords from evicting tenants who are unable to pay their rents because of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the bill is set to expire on the 31st unless the California State Legislature acts quickly. The consequences of political inaction by this deadline would be dire. Empirical evidence from around the country suggests that eviction is burdensome psychologically and financially for both tenant and landlord alike. Recent surveys indicate that evicted tenants are more likely to experience depression, high blood pressure, and other adverse health effects[1], as well as face substantially higher amounts of credit card debt, as much as double that of their non-evicted neighbors in one study[2]. Simultaneously, the legal mechanisms for eviction are costly and time consuming, with many landlords estimating that they face as much as a $1,500 bill for each ‘successful’ eviction[3]. The tremendous social and material costs of eviction give the State a compelling reason to reduce them even during periods of economic fair weather, let alone amidst 8.2% unemployment and a deep recession.
Moreover, the COVID-19 Pandemic which prompted the statewide moratorium has not abated and has recently surged due to both seasonal factors and the appearance of new, more transmissible strains. While the rapid development and distribution of new vaccines promises light at the end of the tunnel, it is essential to use all policy tools available in pursuit of a robust public health response. The extension of the eviction moratorium should be considered part of this public health response. A recent working paper from UCLA[4] suggests that among states who allowed their moratoria expire, rates of COVID incidence were 1.6 times higher after 7 weeks and 2.1 times higher after 16 weeks. This effect was even more pronounced amongst death rates, spiking from 1.6 time greater at seven weeks, to 5.4 times greater after sixteen.
This bill will save lives while providing financial relief to tenants and landlords alike, and we are proud to count our organization amongst its supporters.
[1] Vazequez-Vera et al 2017
[2] Humphries et al 2019
[3] Garboden and Rosen 2019
[4] Leifheit et al 2020
