Santa Monica Extends Local Emergency, Eviction Protections

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica will extend its eviction protections for residential and commercial tenants, signing a state of emergency due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic this week through March 31, city officials announced.

A rent eviction moratorium is one of the main components of the city's thirty-second emergency supplement, giving more time for eviction protections and help residential and commercial tenants who cannot pay rent due to the financial impacts of the virus.

"The thirty-second supplement also extends the expiration of the city’s local emergency and associated supplements to March 31, 2021, given the continued community spread and economic impacts of COVID-19," city officials said in a statement.

The priority now is to keep people housed and working, officials said.

“As many of our residents and businesses continue to struggle with the devastating economic toll caused by the pandemic, we are committed to helping our community members to stay housed,” Interim City Manager Lane Dilg said. “Every vaccine provided and every decrease in hospitalizations provides hope, but we know we still have a long road to travel to full economic recovery. As a city, we intend to walk alongside our community members each step of the way.”

The thirty-second supplement specifically addresses the following:

• Extends the city’s moratorium on evictions of residential tenants for non-payment of rent to cover rent due and unpaid because of financial impacts related to COVID-19 between January 31, 2021 and March 31, 2021.
• Extends the city’s moratorium on evictions of commercial tenant 1s to cover rent due and unpaid because of financial impacts related to COVID-19 through March 31, 2021, and extends by 90 days, from June 30 to September 30, 2021, the period in which commercial tenant 1s may repay unpaid rent.
• Subject to previously specified exceptions (in the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Supplements), extends the expiration of prior supplements that remain in place through March 31, 2021. Later expiration dates stated in specific supplements remain unchanged.
• Authorizes BBB to modify its contract with the entity that solicits bus advertising to account for the COVID-19 downturn in the market for such advertising.

For more information, visit santamonica.gov/coronavirus, or call the city’s Coronavirus Hotline at (310) 458-8400.

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