Committee hears city enforcement update after rent spikes reported following recent fires

The Los Angeles City CouncilHomelessness and Housing Committee on Jan. 29 heard a verbal update from the City Attorneyand housing departments on enforcement actions after residents reported sharp rent increases following recent wildfires.

The Committee heard that the city launched an online 311 portal to let residents report suspected rent inflation and that the City Attorneyhas already sent demand letters to landlords. "Wehave received more than 1,200 complaints," City Attorney staffer Peter Wall told the committee, and "about 850" of those complaints have been validated; letters have been mailed beginning Jan. 8. The office also said it has a draft ordinance under Los Angeles Municipal Code section 47.12 that it is preparing to use as part of enforcement.

Committee members and city housing officials said the complaints are concentrated in single-family and small-unit neighborhoods and that outreach is ongoing to people displaced by the fires. Los Angeles Housing Department (LHD) staff reported coordinated outreach to residents of Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) units affected by the fires; the committee was told the city has identified about 751 RSO units destroyed or heavily damaged and is using disaster centers and postal distribution points to contact displaced tenants.

"We are launching a portal on the city website to allow residents to report instances of rent inflation," Wall said. He added that some enforcement options could include civil or criminal referrals under state competition statutes, but that details of specific complaints remain confidential "to preserve our ability to enforce the law."

LHD staff described outreach and communication steps: bilingual mailings and electronic notices to property owners and tenants, and targeted messaging through local media starting in early February. One LHD presenter said the city's rental registry records property-level data (number of units, amenities, offered rents) rather than individual tenant names, which limits the city's ability to contact displaced residents by mail in neighborhoods where postal service remains disrupted.

Public commenters raised related concerns. Susan Price told the committee that affordable, public and deeply subsidized housing is needed immediately for people who lost homes in the fires. "We need housing now," Price said during public comment. Armando Herman urged rent relief and criticized how emergency spending has been allocated; Gerard Wright urged long-term homeownership assistance. Committee members asked staff to provide a district-by-district tracking report in the coming weeks and requested follow-up on whether demand letters produce measurable changes in rent listings.

The committee asked the City Attorneyto return with metrics showing whether letters lead to lower advertised rents and to provide more detail on litigation or criminal referrals. Housing staff said they will coordinate with disaster centers and the postal service to reach displaced tenants.

The update followed public comment and the committee's administrative matters before the body moved on to further budget and Measure A discussions later in the meeting.