WEST HOLLYWOOD — The West Hollywood City Council is planning to propose an expansion of the current eviction moratorium. The teleconference meeting is set to take place next Monday, June 1. 

The current order issued on March 16 protects tenants who have been financially impacted by the current COVID-19 health crisis. The moratorium considers a number of adverse situations possibly faced by residents.

“Caring for oneself or a family member infected with COVID-19,” “lay-off or income reduction resulting from economic or employer impacts of COVID-19,” and “extraordinary out-of-pocket medical costs” are among the stipulations established in the moratorium.

The May 31 expiration date for the order was already extended to July 31.

“In the interest of protecting the public health and preventing transmission of COVID-19, it is essential to avoid unnecessary housing displacement, to protect the City’s affordable housing stock, and to prevent housed individuals from falling into homelessness, especially given state and county directives to stay at home,” the memo says.

A memo issued by the city’s Administrative Services Department details the need of expanding the moratorium’s scope.

The proposed expansion highlights gaps in the current order that “could be exploited by those seeking to circumvent the moratorium and could result in 3-day notices and eviction case filings on grounds not covered by the current moratorium.”

For instance, courts are still accepting complaints and filings related to eviction actions, even though they are not being processed as per an order of the state’s Judicial Council. This permits courts to issue letters of notification warning tenants about eviction actions against them.

The memo says, “A broader moratorium could prevent these actions from being filed in the first place and reduce the possibility of tenants vacating their units in response to these notices out of fear of eviction.”