Los Angeles County Board Chair Kathryn Barger signed an executive order directing County Departments to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 emergency, including a moratorium on residential and commercial evictions for unincorporated areas of Los Angeles.

The order, signed March 19, outlines several actions the County of Los Angeles will take for the protection of life and property, and to preserve public order and safety.

The executive order places a moratorium on residential and commercial tenant evictions. This moratorium is retroactive to March 4, 2020, the date of the County’s declaration of an emergency, and will continue through May 31, 2020. The moratorium is in line with Governor Gavin Newsom’s proclamation regarding local authority to impose such restrictions. This moratorium ensures County residents are not unduly impacted in their adherence to Public Health orders issued by the Department of Public Health.

“The Board of Supervisors is committed to protecting our constituents as this emergency continues,” Supervisor Barger said. “I am committed to ensure residents do not fall into homelessness from an inability to work and pay rent as a result of public health guidelines that limit business and retail activity.”

The moratorium only applies to unincorporated L.A. County areas and does not apply to incorporated cities. As of March 19, the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena and six others have issued similar orders, with more forthcoming.

Additionally, the executive order asks County Departments to engage financial institutions to identify tools to provide relief from the threat of residential foreclosure and displacement, and to promote housing security and stability. Housing is a multi-part chain and the County is working to ensure all involved parties work together to prevent displacement during this crisis.

The Order also directs the creation of an emergency office, comprised of multiple County Departments, to provide rapid response and resources for small businesses impacted during the emergency. This strike team will be available via phone, web, text, and with multilingual services to assist businesses and individuals to apply for various forms of relief provided at the local, state, and federal levels, including the $2 billion United States Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

The County is focused on ensuring the temporary impacts of this emergency do not lead to long-term impacts that contribute to homelessness, displacement, or other detriments. The order includes direction to County Departments to work with local utility companies to prevent service disconnections and asks private grocers to implement measures to prevent hoarding.

A copy of the proclamation can be found here.

Visit here for more information, including updates on closures, food services, and utility relief.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will continue to share updates at here.

Ed. Note: The above information was provided to KHTS by Los Angeles County.

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