For Immediate Release
MENLO PARK – State Senator Josh Becker, D-Peninsula, hailed the announcement today by Governor Newsom, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and housing committee leaders Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember David Chiu, of their proposal to extend protections to California renters hit hard by the pandemic.
The historic proposed aid package, to be funded by more than an estimated $5 billion in federal money, would extend California’s eviction moratorium until September 30.
“California renters and landlords cannot fully recover from the pandemic without protections that enable them to transition out of crisis mode,” Senator Becker said. “We have the resources to make this assistance a reality, and we should make it so.
“There are two key needs: A reasonable extension to help California renters and landlords get back on their feet, and a better process to get this money to the people who need it. California has distributed only a fraction of the billion-plus dollars already available in state-administered funds for rental assistance. This needs to happen faster.
“The proposal announced today addresses the extension, and California has worked to smooth the application and delivery system for rental assistance. I’m proud that a longtime Peninsula legal-tech entrepreneur, Edward Hartman, is among the people who helped develop a solution. The application for assistance– once a 32-page form taking up to 3 hours to complete – is now a roughly 30-minute task that can be completed on a smartphone and is available in multiple languages.
“It’s this kind of assistance and innovation that can ensure California’s collective success in recovering from the pandemic.”
The proposed extension of the eviction moratorium and assistance package are embodied in Assembly Bill 832, which is scheduled for a vote in the Legislature on Monday. The bill must be passed by both houses and returned to the Governor for his signature no later than June 30, the day the current moratorium expires.
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Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov, 415-298-3404