The City of Los Angeles Housing and Homelessness Committee on Feb. 5 voted to advance a package of modifications instructing the Los Angeles Housing Department to draft an ordinance that would bar certain evictions for tenants who can show economic or medical hardship related to the January 2025 fires and implement a temporary pause on rent increases.

The measure, moved by Councilmember Hernández with amendments from Councilmember Soto Martínez, was debated at length during a 45-minute public comment period and passed the committee as modified after a series of roll-call votes on individual amendments and clarifying language. Committee members approved two substantive modifications (known in the record as 15D and 15E) and declined other changes proposed at the meeting; a proposed change to shorten the protection window failed on a 2–2 tie. The final, amended motion was approved by the committee and will be returned as ordinance language drafted by city staff and the City Attorney for the full Council to consider.

Why it matters: Tenants and tenant advocates said the ordinance is needed immediately to prevent displacement of residents who lost income, jobs or habitability because of the fires. Property owners and industry groups warned that broad moratoria or long-term eviction defenses can deter investment, harm small landlords and reduce housing supply.

What the committee directed and debated
The committee instructed Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) staff and the City Attorney to prepare ordinance language that would (a) provide an affirmative defense in unlawful detainer cases for tenants who attest or demonstrate economic or medical harm tied to the January fires, (b) implement a temporary pause on rent increases for covered units and (c) suspend certain municipal code provisions through Jan. 31, 2026, as set out in the motion on the record.

LAHD assistant general manager Ana Ortega told the committee staff would accept two paths for proof of hardship: documentary evidence (pay stubs, unemployment filings, employer letters, tax records when available) or a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury when cash-based work or informal employment makes documentary proof difficult. Ortega said the department will create a template declaration for tenants and a list of acceptable documents.

"I would recommend that we accept both — documentation where available and a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury," Ana Ortega said.

Public comment and competing views
More than two dozen members of the public and representatives of tenant groups and landlord organizations addressed the committee. Tenant advocates urged immediate, broad protections and removal of documentary barriers; several said rental-assistance programs can take months to deliver funds and will not prevent near-term displacement.

Councilmember Hernández, a sponsor of the motion, said the ordinance seeks to protect residents who lost their livelihoods in the fires and cautioned that protections are not intended to shield tenants who choose not to pay rent for other reasons. "Esta es una defensa para residentes impactados, no una excusa para inquilinos nuevos que no paguen su alquiler," Hernández said on the record.

Opponents — including apartment-owner associations and several property owners — argued the proposed protections were too broad and would chill investment and financing for new housing. "We are opposed to the proposed ordinance as written; while we understand the intent to protect residents, this broad approach will have consequences for housing providers and could deter investment," said Víctor Reyes, identified in the record as speaking on behalf of a property-owner group.

Alternative approaches discussed
Committee members and staff discussed alternatives to a yearlong affirmative defense, including:
- Extending the current, shorter eviction-timing protections (the committee considered doubling or tripling the current one-month standard to two or three months for qualifying tenants to catch up).
- Requiring specific documentation in some circumstances while allowing sworn declarations for cash- or informal-economy workers.
- Directing LAHD and the Chief Administrative Office to identify and reprogram up to $50 million in administrative funds across categories as a short-term source for emergency tenant assistance; staff cautioned that budget and procurement steps would be required.

Funding and existing assistance
Committee members and staff noted that the city already has several funding sources available to assist tenants and owners affected by the fires, which were described at the meeting as roughly $3 million under a Measure identified in the record as ULA, approximately $3 million from SB 2-related funding, and another $14 million in targeted supports — more than $20 million in total, not including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Committee discussion emphasized that rental-assistance programs typically require time to process applications and distribute payments.

Votes at the committee level
- Amendment 15D (removal of a pause on rent increases as drafted in the original motion): passed 4–0 (roll call recorded on the record).
- Amendment 15E (related to documentation, owner-family exemptions and directing the LAHD/COO to explore funding reprogramming): passed 4–0 (roll call recorded on the record).
- Proposal to limit the temporary eviction protection to a shorter ramp (three months rather than a full affirmative defense for the year): failed on a 2–2 tie.
- Final motion as modified (Hernández; amendments by Soto Martínez and others): approved by the committee and referred for ordinance drafting and further review by staff and the City Attorney; the final committee roll call recorded the motion as approved as modified.

What happens next
City staff and the City Attorney will draft ordinance language consistent with the committee’s instructions and the committee’s adopted modifications. Staff said they will return with a proposed ordinance and a verification process for eligible tenants; LAHD will prepare a template declaration and an initial list of acceptable documents. The ordinance drafting and any final urgency provisions will be considered by the full City Council following the department and City Attorney review.

The committee discussion made clear two persistent tensions: tenant advocates pressing for immediate, broadly accessible protections to prevent near-term displacement, and landlords and housing-industry speakers warning of long-term effects on housing investment and small-owner viability. The committee’s adopted direction attempts to preserve immediate protections while directing staff to return with drafting detail on documentation, verification and the interaction with existing rental-assistance programs.

Ending note: The committee convened a second agenda item for continued consideration and closed the meeting after the vote; the ordinance language will be drafted by LAHD in coordination with the City Attorney and returned for subsequent Council action.