Renters In Davis Call On State To Extend Eviction Moratorium

DAVIS (CBS13) — Renters gathered in Davis on Friday demanding California extend the eviction moratorium again, but landlords who've seen the program extended three separate times are ready to be paid rent they say they've been owed for months.

"This is a crisis," said Tahnee Sweeney, an activist with the Cancel The Rents movement.

California's eviction moratorium was put in place to protect pandemic-affected renters like Lysandras Dasilva's mother.

"In the height of the pandemic, she had to take time off work. She took the help to afford her house," Dasilva said.

The Cancel The Rents movement gathered in Davis on Friday demanding California's eviction moratorium continue indefinitely.

"Indeed, housing is a right that we need to ensure for all," Sweeney said.

At the end of September, the moratorium will run out and renters will have to pay up. After more than a year, landlords are anxious for the money.

"Many, many landlords have not received rent. Some have not received rent since March of 2020," said Chris Airola, president of the California Landlord Association. "Initially, most of my landlords were empathetic, but as this dragged on. The landlords began to suffer getting further behind on bills, having maintenance issues come up on the property."

According to the California Rental Relief dashboard, more than $5 billion has been allocated for rental assistance funding, but both tenants and landlords say they're not seeing the money.

"They say 'Look, the numbers are so great we just can't get to them,' " Airola said.

"The debt forgiveness for rents and also the rent assistance program need to get into peoples pockets. There are families going unhoused in the middle of the pandemic and we can do better," Sweeney said.

The Cancel The Rent rallies are statewide and continuing through the weekend.