Will Coronavirus Worsen California’s Housing Crisis?

FEATURING LEAH SIMON-WEISBERG – In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration ordered the Department of Housing and Urban Development to suspend all foreclosures and evictions until April for those homeowners whose mortgages are backed by the federal government. The suspension only affects a small number of people however.

In California, where a massive housing crisis has evolved over years, fears that the coronavirus will make the situation even worse has prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an executive order on the issue. But Newsom’s order simply frees local governments to take steps to enact their own eviction bans. In Los Angeles, there are a dozen documented cases of people taking over empty housing citing fears over Covid-19.

Leah Simon-Weisberg, Legal Director for Anti-Displacement and Land Use Programs with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.