Name: San Francisco passes sweeping pandemic-related eviction ban
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San Francisco passes sweeping pandemic-related eviction ban

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Landlords will be permanently barred from evicting tenants if they can’t pay rent due to coronavirus-related issues, like job loss or getting sick from the virus, under legislation passed by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.The legislation passed 10-1, with Supervisor Catherine Stefani in dissent.Mayor London Breed already issued an emergency order banning evictions during the public health emergency — and for two months after — to help people avoid displacement during the pandemic. She also eliminated late fees and interest and gave tenants more time to pay back their rent.But many still worried about the looming threat of eviction after the emergency order lifts. The legislation, written by Supervisor Dean Preston, , but instead makes the current moratorium permanent by forbidding landlords from ever using the missed rent as a reason for eviction — no matter when the public health emergency is lifted.“Absent this legislation, there can be little doubt that when the moratorium that we have in place expires, there will be thousands of filings to give tenants notice that they have three days to pay rent or quit,” Preston said. “We need to do everything in our power to avoid that fate.”This proposal drew several hours of public comment at Monday’s Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting. While those in favor of the ordinance said it’s important to protect people from displacement during the pandemic, those against it worried about the strain it could put on landlords who still need to cover their own expenses.“I’m a mom-and-pop business,” Barbara Dwyer, who owns a three-unit building near Dolores Park, previously told The Chronicle. Dwyer said she already lowered her tenants’ rent by 10% at the beginning of the public health emergency. “If my tenants were to decide to stop paying rent, I still have to pay my property taxes, utilities, insurance and cost of repairs.”Preston said he would work to set up a Rent Resolution Fund to help landlords — particularly the small ones — offset the burden of unpaid rent. The bulk of that funding, he said, could come from a November ballot measure that he proposed last month to nearly double the city’s transfer tax on residential and commercial real estate deals valued at $10 million or more.However, that measure isn’t on the ballot yet and would still need to be passed by voters in November.Supervisor Norman Yee, who said he was torn on how to vote when it was his turn to speak at Tuesday’s meeting, worried about how the city would generate the funds to help small landlords whose tenants are unable to pay.Rent Amid Coronavirus“I think it is crucial that we actually get this funding to alleviate the burden of the rent itself,” he said. “We should make sure that none of our residents — whether they’re landlords or tenants — get hurt from the pandemic itself.”Yee eventually decided to vote yes, after being reassured his colleagues were committed to finding the funds.Meanwhile, Stefani, the lone no vote, said she believed the legislation would not stand up to legal challenges in court. As a result, she said she could not “in good faith” vote yes.About Our Newsroom“One of our greatest responsibilities with the Board of Supervisors is to safeguard the city’s finances,” she said. “While well-intentioned ... I do believe it will lead to a costly lawsuit that the city will eventually lose.”Despite record job loss due to the pandemic, about 97% of residential tenants in San Francisco paid their May rent, by the San Francisco Apartment Association. The survey encompassed 352 property owners or managers. While the survey is the largest of its kind, it represented only 13,961 San Francisco apartment units — or about 6% of the city’s total rental stock.Many tenants were likely able to pay their rent due to assistance from federal stimulus checks, and an extra $600 a week in unemployment compensation the federal Cares Act provided. But that assistance is set to expire in July.As those out of work deal with accumulated debt and depleted savings, Supervisor Hillary Ronen called the legislation a “common sense next step” for the city.“The legislation will not erase tenant debt for unpaid back rent,” she said. “But it will forestall the immediate possibility of evictions, and what could otherwise be an unimaginable tragedy citywide.”Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:About Our Newsroom

Landlords will be permanently barred from evicting tenants if they can’t pay rent due to coronavirus-related issues, like job loss or getting sick from the virus, under legislation passed by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.The legislation passed 10-1, with Supervisor Catherine Stefani in dissent.Mayor London Breed already issued an emergency order banning evictions during the public health emergency — and for two months after — to help people avoid displacement during the pandemic. She also eliminated late fees and interest and gave tenants more time to pay back their rent.But many still...

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Trisha Thadani is a City Hall reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. She previously covered work-based immigration and local startups for the paper’s business section.  Thadani graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism. Before joining The Chronicle, she held internships at The Boston Globe, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and was a Statehouse correspondent for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

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Trisha Thadani

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San Francisco passes sweeping pandemic-related eviction ban

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