Santa Clara Co. OKs Eviction Moratorium In Unincorporated Areas

By Jana Kadah, Bay City News Foundation

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County has passed an eviction moratorium for unincorporated areas of the county as the state's tenant protections are set to expire at the end of the month.

The county resolution was passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors at their Tuesday meeting. The moratorium will be in effect on July 1 until Sept. 30.

"We've been (relying on) the state's temporary moratorium ... and that one's expiring June 30," Supervisor Otto Lee said. "That is why this is necessary."

Lee argued that the moratorium should extend to all parts of the county, but County Counsel James Williams said the county did not have the legal authority to force cities to implement a halt on evictions.

Williams said that the county does not even have the power to create an ordinance with an opt-in option for cities, which is why the emergency ordinance is just for the unincorporated areas.

However, the county counsel continued that the county is prepared to assist any city with drafting a similar ordinance in the event the state's protections are not extended.

State legislators are currently debating whether to extent tenant protections, especially since the state has distributed only about $50 million of its $1.4 billion allocated for rent relief.

The Legislature is likely to make the decision in the next week or so as the state's budget is finalized.

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