Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance Amended Before Council Meeting

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — Nithya Raman Tuesday morning proposed several amendments to her Tenant-Anti Harassment Ordinance ahead of Wednesday's City Council Housing Committee meeting. The ordinance aims to prevent landlords from pressuring tenants to vacate their apartments, either directly or indirectly through intimidation, rent increases or attempts to disturb a renter's comfort.

“Tenant Harassment is a pernicious problem that contributes to gentrification, displacement, and homelessness in Los Angeles, and this law represents an important step in the right direction,” said Councilmember Raman.

“The amendments I am offering are to ensure that the law reflects the many forms of harassment that our office regularly hears about from tenants and tenants groups, and that the proscribed remedies are sufficient to ensure adequate legal representation and deter such unlawful behavior from occurring in the first place.”

Many of the amendments seek to clarify the definition of tenant harassment, adding other examples such as cash buyout offers or threats to report false information to law enforcement, child protective services or other agencies.

"Both acts are among those documented most frequently by tenants rights organizations and within complaints to the Housing and Community Investment Department, and including them within this ordinance’s definition of tenant harassment is vital to its success," Raman said in a statement.

Perhaps most importantly, Raman proposed a rent adjustment penalty, which would prevent landlords who violate the ordinance from raising a unit's rent after a vacancy. For example, this would keep a landlord from pressuring a longtime tenant at a rent-stabilized apartment to leave their living space, in order to significantly raise the rent for a new tenant who would move in.

Under the measure, if harassment occurs, a tenant who prevails in court may be awarded compensation for damages, rent refunds for reduction in housing services, reasonable compensation for attorney's fees and more. A landlord might also be fined up to $5,000 if the tenant is older than 65 years of disabled.

Tenants' rights advocates on Friday called on the L.A. City Council to amend the proposed ordinance to include stronger enforcement measures.

The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment wants the ordinance to be strengthened by making tenant harassment a misdemeanor, providing funds to implement the law, and allowing tenants to return to the unit and pay the same amount of rent if a judge finds that an eviction occurred through harassment.

Tenants' rights advocates Friday expressed frustration that it has been over three years and an ordinance has still not been passed.

City News Service contributed to this report.