August 26, 2020

Upcoming Webinar: Exploring California’s Looming Eviction Crisis – Legislative Options for Renters and Landlords

This Friday, August 28th at 4PM, we’re hosting an all star panel to discuss and we hope you’ll join us.

On August 13th, the California Judicial Council amended its emergency rules to lift the statewide ban on evictions. Measures passed by Governor Newsom and local cities still remain in place to try and slow the pace of evictions; but, by and large, the now-lifted statewide eviction freeze was the only thing that was stopping the flood of evictions that everyone knows is coming.

California has a disproportionate number of residential renters, about 45% compared with 36% for the rest of the country. On the commercial front, it is clear that the restaurant and retail sectors have suffered hardest from the COVID crisis. Tenants in these sectors tend to have massive capital investments in location and are generally intimately tied to the location itself. These two sectors also employ about 1 out of every five people across the country and the employees tend to be residential renters.

In a very real sense, the first true signs of the fallout from COVID will happen through the eviction process. Up until now, the California Legislature has been content to punt on the issue of dealing with the eviction crisis because the Judicial Council ban effectively handled that issue for them. With that option gone, the California legislature is considering two bills AB 1436 and SB 1410 to address the medium run needs of landlords and tenants. It is likely that one of these two bills, or a compromise between the two, will be passed before the Judicial Council’s statewide eviction ban is lifted next Tuesday, September 1st.

Ultimately, there are only two options: On the one hand, California and the Federal government must continue to infuse money into the system to protect tenants and landlords from the inevitable fallout of COVID. Assuming the well goes dry or is otherwise channeled to other pastures, California is going to have to figure out how to spread this pain between tenants, landlords and, ultimately, the banks, in a manner that is not only economically feasible, but fair and equitable to all parties.

WEBINAR AGENDA

• Introductions

• Dr. Manish Garg, MD (10 minutes): From the front lines of the New York emergency room, what COVID was like and where it’s going over the next year. Dr. Garg will explain his opinions on vaccines, testing, tracking and treatment.

• Chris Evans, esq (10 minutes): Real Estate attorney and evictions expert provides a brief overview of SB 1436 and 1410. Mr. Evans will explore some of the salient details of what has been proposed, the changes, and the politics involved in these incredibly important bills.

• Round table discussion (30 Minutes): Our seasoned panel below will explore options for both residential and commercial landlords and tenants.

• Town Hall Style Meeting: We’ll invite participants into our discussion to ask questions, forward opinions, and generally participate in the discussion. This will likely be limited to 20 people, so email me once you’re registered so we can make appropriate accommodations.