[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]nglewood's City Council unanimously passed a emergency 45-day moratorium on rent hikes in the city. This comes as the new Crenshaw rail line and the $4.9 billion dollar NFL stadium are pressuring Inglewood renters with high costs and out-of-control rent increases.
The proposal's approval means many multi-unit building owners will be prevented from raising rents by more than five percent in a one-year period. The city will use the pause on rent hikes to study and prepare for a further action on the matter as council chambers Tuesday were filled with residents facing rent hikes and evictions. Mayor James Butts cited a resident who received a 200 percent rent hike as one of the catalysts behind the motion, which he introduced.
"We need to allow people to make a living, but at the same time we will not allow buildings to be emptied out en masse," Butts said during a sometimes passionate City Council meeting. The rule applies to apartment buildings constructed before February 1995. It does not apply to condos or single-family homes.