SACRAMENTO— California lawmakers on Thursday agreed to use $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money to pay off up to 80% of some tenants' unpaid rent — but only if landlords agree to forgive the rest of their debt. The legislation, which Gov. Gavin Newsom helped negotiate and is expected to...
How California Renters Are Bracing for an Eviction Tsunami
Two million Californians could be forced from their rental homes early next year, and the bad omens are happening now, all around them. They’re in the credit card bills they stack in a corner, the personal relationships they test by borrowing money, the hours waiting on the phone hoping to...
Landlords Are Getting Squeezed Between Tenants and Lenders
NEW YORK — When it comes to sympathetic figures, landlords aren't exactly at the top of the list. But they, too, have fallen on hard times, demonstrating how the coronavirus outbreak spares almost no one. Take Shad Elia, who owns 24 single-family apartment units in the Boston area. He says...
Rent’s Due, Again: Monthly Anxieties Deepen as Aid Falls off
Another month passes. The coronavirus pandemic marches on. And Americans struggling amid the economic fallout once again have to worry as their next rent checks come due Aug. 1. Many left jobless by the crisis are already behind on payments. And the arrival of August brings new anxieties. A supplemental...
Gov. Newsom Targets Homeless Crisis in Budget, Order
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he is seeking $750 million in part to help pay rent for people facing homelessness in the most populous state's latest attempt to fight what he called a national crisis. Newsom planned to sign an executive order Wednesday creating the fund, two...
California Housing Crisis Mystery: Rents Way up, Eviction Filings Way Down
Shirley Gibson isn’t quite sure how to feel about these numbers. As directing attorney of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County — which offers legal services to low-income tenants caught between the preposterously priced southern suburbs of San Francisco and the preposterously priced suburbs of Silicon Valley —...
Housing Woes Push Into 2020 Campaign From Nevada and Beyond
LAS VEGAS — Like many, Mario Wolthers was lured to Las Vegas a decade ago from California by cheaper housing costs. But when his apartment managers tried to raise his rent last spring, he moved in with a roommate. "I'm a responsible taxpaying citizen," said Wolthers, a 38-year-old elementary school...
Gov. Newsom Gets Bill Capping Rent Increases
SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom legislation Wednesday capping rent increases as the state struggles with an affordable housing and a homelessness crisis. The cap expires in 2030 and would not apply to housing built within the last 15 years and single-family homes not owned by corporations or trusts....
Rent Cap Bill Won’t Fix California’s Housing Crisis
When California lawmakers vote on a rent cap bill in the coming days, they must consider the consequences it will have on our state’s housing crisis for years to come. Our state’s housing affordability and availability crisis deserves a comprehensive approach that prioritizes building more homes for rent and ownership....
California Governor Announces Deal to Cap Rising Rent Prices
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom reached a deal with apartment owners and developers Friday on legislation that would cap how rapidly rents can rise as the state grapples with a housing crisis. The deal would cap annual rent increases at 5% plus inflation, with a 10% maximum increase. That's lower...