[dropcap size=big]L[/dropcap]ast Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a permanent rent control ordinance to bring rent control to all unincorporated areas of L.A County after listening to over 160 people give public comment for three hours.
Lead by Supervisors Kuehl and Solis, the ordinance will cap rent increases at no more than 8 percent, protect renters in unincorporated areas from being evicted without just case and requires a landlord to provide reasonable relocation assistance for tenants evicted without fault. The landmark ruling will affect approximately 100,000 renters across L.A. County. The Board of Supervisors also unanimously approved of a 2 million dollar eviction defense and prevention fund.
“My name is Carolina Rodriguez, I was born in East L.A. and I’m here to stay,” Carolina Rodriguez addresses a large crowd of supporters outside Kenneth Hahn Hall before the Board of Supervisors meeting. Rodriguez is credited with being the first tenant to spark the movement that lead to this ordinance. Three years ago, Rodriguez was living in City Terrace when her rent jumped from $1,250 to $2,000.
“We found ourselves facing a life on the streets,” after the rent increase, Rodriguez and her family, which includes six children, were facing homelessness. Every time Rodriguez passed by an underpass, a shaded sidewalk or a park she thought about being homeless, “I wondered if it would be a good place to set up our tents,” she said during the press conference.