City Council adopts interim control ordinance on 'substantial remodel' evictions after hours of public comment

The Los Angeles City Council voted to adopt an interim control ordinance addressing evictions for substantial remodeling on March 7, 2025, approving the item as amended and sending it "urgent forthwith." The council recorded 12 ayes on the principal motion and 12 ayes to send the item urgent forthwith.

Supporters and tenants packed the chamber and urged the council to close what they described as a loophole allowing "renovictions" — eviction filings tied to claims of substantial remodeling. Angela Bai, a resident of Council District 14 and a research and policy analyst at the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, told the council: "Tenant protections are essential for people to build stable lives and communities." Several other speakers described pending court cases and said landlords had filed successive eviction actions to push long-term tenants out.

The ICO was introduced with an accompanying city attorney report and a revised draft ordinance. The council adopted the environmental determination and a set of amendments introduced in a motion noted on the record as amending motion 20A…