Public commenters, legal-aid groups press committee to pass right-to-counsel ordinance

Dozens of tenants, legal-aid staff and advocacy groups urged the Los Angeles City Council Housing and Homelessness Committee on March 19 to approve Item 8, a proposed ordinance to codify a right to counsel for tenants in eviction proceedings.

Supporters said legal representation reduces evictions and saves municipal resources. “Las personas que tienen representación…más a menudo van a ganar su caso en cuanto desalojo injusto,” said Milena Nevares, identifying herself as a tenant in District 8. Loren Harbor, described in the record as a data manager at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, said the program has grown from 24 to about 80 attorneys since 2020 and that expanded coverage will help more tenants stay housed.

Why it matters: Advocates said a codified right to counsel prevents homelessness and lowers downstream costs for the city by reducing the number of evictions that lead to shelter or street homelessness. Multiple speakers — including organizers from Sage House Lake, Alliance for Supportive Housing and providers reporting work with community-based groups — asked the committee to adopt the ordinance “as written” and without amendments.

Public-comment highlights and claims

- Amy (public commenter) and volunteers from tenant-organizing groups spoke in favor of Item 8 during the public comment period and asked committee members to vote yes. Several tenants described difficulty navigating eviction court without counsel, especially for older residents and people with limited English proficiency.

- Brad West, identified in the record with the Alliance for Supportive Housing, said the proposed change would streamline development approvals by preventing repeated rework tied to destabilized households. “Creo que es una política muy inteligente y prudente,” he said in support.

- Legal Aid Foundation (represented by Loren Harbor) outlined recent capacity growth in its tenant-defense program and said the foundation has expanded representation across additional ZIP codes this year.

- Several attorney speakers (including Sean Hanson, who identified himself as an attorney working with legal provider networks) described courtroom experiences in which unrepresented tenants fared worse and urged codification of counsel rights to equalize outcomes.

Committee action and next steps

The committee took Item 8 up as part of a group of consent items. Committee members moved to place Item 8 on the agenda for approval alongside related items; the item was advanced as recommended in that consent grouping. The committee’s recorded roll calls later in the meeting show the package of consent items, including Item 8, was approved by the quorum present (three members voting in the affirmative with some members absent). The transcript does not record final council adoption — only committee-level approval and the public comments urging passage.

What wasn’t decided or specified

The public record and committee discussion cited program benefits and growing legal-aid capacity but did not include a detailed budget appropriation for the ordinance within the transcript. Speakers frequently asserted that right-to-counsel programs have reduced evictions elsewhere and “save the city money,” but the committee did not enter a line-item fiscal analysis during the meeting. Funding sources and precise implementation timelines were not specified in the public exchange recorded here.

Ending

Committee members acknowledged the volume of public support during the comment period and moved Item 8 forward as part of the consent package. The transcript indicates further legislative steps would be required before a citywide, binding program would be in effect.