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The Los Angeles City Council made a significant decision on Tuesday, voting unanimously to prevent landlords from evicting tenants who offer shelter to individuals or pets displaced by recent fires in the area. The ordinance, approved preliminarily in a 14 to 0 vote, aims to protect tenants who may be in violation of their leases by housing fire refugees.

This new regulation, set to undergo final approval next week, is designed to be in effect for one year and specifically pertains to occupants and pets displaced by the Palisades, Eaton, or other fires that occurred in January. Tenants must inform their landlords of the additional occupants or pets they have taken in from the fires, providing details such as the previous address of these individuals.

These protections will be applicable to all properties within the city limits of Los Angeles. Furthermore, for buildings covered under the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, landlords will not be allowed to impose special rent increases that are typically permitted when additional individuals move in, as long as these new occupants are fire refugees.

Councilmember Traci Park, representing the hard-hit Pacific Palisades neighborhood, emphasized the importance of not punishing acts of kindness and compassion during this time of emergency. She highlighted the need to provide shelter, peace, and security without causing distress for those who have opened their homes to those in need.

This decision by the council comes in the midst of ongoing discussions regarding the level of tenant protections required following the devastating fires in January, which resulted in the destruction or severe damage of over 12,000 homes in the county. While reports of illegal price gouging surfaced after the fires began on January 7, it remains uncertain how much more competitive the rental market in the region has become as a whole.

Experts in housing and disaster recovery anticipate some degree of rent increase, given the destruction of thousands of homes in an already constrained market. The majority of homes lost in the fires were single-family houses, leading some experts to predict that rent hikes will be most pronounced in larger units near the affected areas. As units become smaller and move farther away from the disaster zone, the upward pressure on costs is expected to diminish.

Recently, the council rejected a proposal that would have halted rent increases on many apartments citywide for a year, as well as prevented certain types of evictions—such as those due to non-payment of rent—if tenants were financially or medically impacted by the fires. This proposal was met with criticism from some council members, including Park, who deemed the regulations too broad. The matter has since been referred to the council’s housing and homelessness committee for further review.

The discussion surrounding tenant protections in the aftermath of the fires remains a complex and evolving issue, with various stakeholders weighing in on the best course of action to support those affected by the recent disasters. The council’s decision to prohibit evictions for tenants offering aid to fire refugees marks a significant step towards ensuring that acts of kindness and empathy are valued and protected during times of crisis.