UNITE HERE Local 11 Hospitality Workers Call on ALIS Conference Hotel Executives to Help Solve Housing Crisis

Demand Endorsement of Responsible Hotel Ordinance & Higher Wages to Afford Rent

Los Angeles: Over a thousand room attendants, cooks and servers with tools of their trade–beds, bell carts, mops–marched in downtown LA today asking the hotel executives attending the American Lodging Investment Summit, “the largest hotel investment conference in the world,” to step up and help solve the region’s housing crisis.

“I live in Apple Valley with my husband, our two sons, and my mother. Los Angeles is in the middle of a housing crisis and the hotel industry is perpetuating the decrease in affordable housing. Even with 5 people in one household, I cannot afford to live closer to the JW Marriott L.A Live where I work. I sometimes only sleep 2-3 hours a night. This is no way to live.” said Brenda Mendoza, uniform attendant of 15 years.

“Although I welcome guests arriving into LAX every day, I cannot afford to live in Los Angeles. After my apartment building was brought up, my rent went from $925 to $1325 overnight. I have seen how so many senior citizens became homeless because they could not keep up with the rising cost of rent.  I am barely hanging on.” said Eleanor Ramos, bartender at LAX for 26 years.

“I have to work two full time jobs and the only place I could afford a home in was California City. I sleep in my car in between jobs.  How can anyone achieve the American dream if this is what it costs?” said Leticia, a housekeeper at the Glendale Hilton for 22 years.

UNITE HERE Local 11 contended that the hotel industry’s historically poverty wage jobs and its irresponsible hotel development, which does not prioritize housing concerns, contribute to working Angelenos’ inability to afford to live in Los Angeles.

“At the investment conference thousands of hotel executives are celebrating record profits because they are making more money than they were before the pandemic.  Meanwhile the workers who make the industry prosperous have to live two hours away because they cannot afford to live where they work. The industry needs to help solve the housing crisis by paying a living wage and endorsing the Responsible Hotel ordinance.” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11.

The workers also demanded that these hotel executives endorse the Responsible Hotel Ordinance and commit to increase hospitality worker wages. UNITE HERE Local 11 members collected a record 126,000 signatures from LA residents to place the Responsible Hotel Ordinance on the March 2024 ballot. The ordinance would require that housing concerns must be addressed in hotel development and creates a program similar to Project Roomkey to place unhoused families in vacant hotel rooms.

The protesters also called on the hotel industry to raise wages so that working families can reside in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Hotel Minimum Wage is $18.86 an hour which means that a hotel worker would have to work 17 hours a day to afford a 2 bedroom apartment.

The protest follows Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declaring a state of emergency on homelessness.

“Tourism is one of the biggest industries in Los Angeles, and it’s one of the most profitable. Yet the workers who make that industry thrive face housing insecurity and rapidly increasing rents.  For too many, the dream of affording a home in the city where they work is completely out of reach. Some of these workers are even unhoused. This must change — and the hospitality industry can join us to be a part of the solution.” said Hugo Soto-Martinez, Los Angeles City Councilmember District 13.

Rent’s Too High?

Wage needed to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. See also the Los Angeles Hotel Worker Minimum Wage chart.

Hotels rooms under construction per “Hospitality Market Report – Los Angeles” prepared by Elyse Kirby for STR, accessed January 4, 2023 [login required]. See also affordable housing units approved by the City of Los Angeles.

Chateau Marmont Agrees to Landmark Union Contract

Martha Santamaria for Hugo Soto-Martínez for LA City Council

“I am proud of Hugo, who is one of our own. He comes from humble beginnings and worked to organize his own hotel. He knows what it is to be a working person, and he will be an excellent voice for working families on Los Angeles’ City Council.” UNITE HERE Local 11 Executive Vice President Martha Santamaria.

Midterm Elections Voter Guide — November 8, 2022

Click on each section to see UNITE HERE Local 11 membership’s endorsements. 

Mayor of Los Angeles
Karen Bass

City Council
Council District 5 – Katy Young Yaroslavsky
Council District 11 – Erin Darling
Council District 13 – Hugo Soto-Martinez
Council District 15 –  Tim McOsker

City Controller
Paul Koretz

City Attorney (vote for ONLY ONE of these two candidates)

Option A – Faisal Gill – Civil Rights attorney. A strong supporter of our Union’s efforts to regulate short term rentals and to stop wage theft. Endorsed by Black Lives Matter LA Co-Founder Melina Abdullah, Councilmember Mike Bonin, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015 Homecare Workers.

Option B – Hydee Feldstein Soto – Attorney-at-law and Neighborhood Councilmember.  A strong supporter of our Union’s efforts to regulate short term rentals and to stop wage theft. Running to be the first woman City Attorney in the City’s history, and its first Latina. Endorsed by the LA Times, the Los Angeles Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Nurses Union 121RN.

Los Angeles City and County Measures/Propositions:
Yes on Measure/Proposition A– Reform the Sheriff’s department
Yes on Measure/Proposition LA – Repair Community College buildings
Yes on Measure/Proposition ULA– Build affordable housing
Yes on Measure/Proposition LH– Build affordable housing
Yes on Measure/Proposition SP– Create new parks

Board of Supervisors
District 3 – Lindsey Horvath

County Sheriff
Robert Luna

Superior Court Judicial Seats
Office No. 60
– Anna Reitano
Office No. 67 – Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes
Office No. 70 – Holly Hancock
Office No. 90 – Melissa Lyons
Office No. 116 – David Gelfound
Office No. 118 – Carolyn “Jiyoung” Park
Office No. 151 – Patrick Hare

Los Angeles Community College
Los Angeles Community College District 2 – Steven F. Veres
Los Angeles Community College District 4 – Sara Hernandez
Los Angeles Community College District 6 – Gabriel Buelna
Los Angeles Community College District 7 – Kelsey Iino

Los Angeles City and County Measures/Propositions:

Yes on Measure/Proposition A– Reform the Sheriff’s department
Yes on Measure/Proposition LA – Repair Community College buildings
Yes on Measure/Proposition ULA– Build affordable housing
Yes on Measure/Proposition LH– Build affordable housing
Yes on Measure/Proposition SP– Create new parks

Mayor – Rex Richardson

City Council
Council District 3 – Kailee Caruso
Council District 5 – Megan Kerr
Council District 9 – Joni Ricks-Oddie

Long Beach Unified School District
District 1 – Nubia Flores
District 3 – Juan Benitez

City Council 
Ellis Raskin
Caroline Torosis
Jesse Zwick

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board
Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein
Alicia Mignano
Laurie Lieberman

Rent Control Board
Daniel Ivanov
Ericka Lesley
Kurt Gonska

Santa Monica College Board of Trustees
Sion Roy
Tom Peters
Barry Snell
Nancy Greenstein

Local Santa Monica Ballot Measures
YES on Measure GS: To increase the tax on sale of luxury real estate to fund local schools, support low-income seniors, and build affordable housing
NO on Measure DT: A measure whose real, but secret, purpose is to create a “poison pill” to defeat Measure GS
YES on Measure RC: To reduce this year’s 6% rent adjustment to ensure an average of 3% for the year & caps future annual rent adjustments at 3%
YES on Measure EM: To give the Santa Monica Rent Control Board authority to reduce rents in a declared emergency
YES on Measure SMC: To support an SMC bond measure to replace obsolete buildings, modernize classroom technologies, & create affordable student housing

Bell City Council – Ana Maria Quintana

West Hollywood 
City Council
Chelsea Byers
Robert Oliver
Zekiah Wright

Lynwood 
City Council
Juan Muñoz-Guevara
Lorraine Avila-Moore

Centinela Valley Union High School District Board of Trustees
Trustee Area 5 – Estefany Castañeda

Pasadena
Measure H (rent control) – Yes

Burbank 
City Council – Nikki Perez

El Monte
Mayor – Jessica Ancona

West Covina
City Council District 4 – Daniel Luna
City Council District 5 – Fredrick Sykes

Board of Supervisors
District 2 – Vince Sarmiento
District 4 – Sunny Park
District 5 – Katrina Foley

Anaheim
Mayor– Ashleigh Aitken
City Council District 2
– Carlos Leon
City Council District 3
 – Al Jabbar
City Council District 6 – Hari Lal

Superior Court Judicial Seats
Office No. 30 – Michele Bell

Aliso Viejo
City Council – Tiffany Ackley
City Council – Payal Avellan

Buena Park
City Council District 1
– Joyce Ahn
City Council District 2
– Jose Trinidad Castañeda
City Council District 5
– Connor Traut

Costa Mesa
Mayor– John Stephens
City Council District 3
– Andrea Marr
City Council District 4 – Manuel Chavez

Cypress
City Council
– David Burke
City Council – Helen Le

Fountain Valley
City Council – Rudy Huebner

Fullerton
City Council District 3
– Shana Charles
City Council District 5 – Ahmad Zahra

Huntington Beach
City Council
– Oscar Rodriguez
City Council – Gina Clayton-Tarvin
City Council – Kenneth Inouye
City Council – William “Billy” O’Connell
City Attorney –  Scott Field

City of Irvine
City Council –
Kathleen Treseder
City Council –
Larry Agran

La Habra
City Council, Short Term – Daren Nigsarian
City Council, Regular Term – Michelle Bernier

Laguna Hills
City Council – Parshan Khosravi

La Palma
City Council – Janet Conklin

Mission Viejo
City Council District 1 – Deborah Cunningham-Skurnik
City Council District 2 – Stacy Holmes
City Council District 3 – Cynthia Vasquez
City Council District 4 – Terri Aprati
City Council District 5 – Jonathan Miller

Orange
City Council District 1 – Jason White

Santa Ana
Mayor – Sal Tinajero
City Council Ward 2 – Benjamin Vazquez
City Council Ward 4 – Amalia Mejia
City Council ward 6 – Manny Escamila

San Clemente
City Council
– Dennis Kamp
City Council – Donna Vidrine
City Council – Mark Enmeier

Seal Beach
City Council District 1
– Joel Kalmick
City Council District 3 – Stephanie Wade

Stanton
City Council District 1
– Donald Torres

Tustin
Mayor
– Rebecca “Becky” Gomez
City Council District 3 – Frank Gomez

Anaheim Union High School District Trustee
Trustee Area 1 – Billie Joe Wright

Buena Park School District
Trustee Area 4 – Brenda Estrada

Coast Community College District
Trustee Area 1 – Jim Moreno

Cypress School District
Trustee Area C – Kyle Chang

Fountain Valley School District
Trustee – Eileen Maeda
Trustee – Megan Irvine
Trustee – Phu Nguyen

Fullerton Elementary School District
Trustee Area 4 – Ruthi Hanchett

Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Trustee Area 4 – Lauren Klatzker

Garden Grove Unified School District
Trustee Area 2 – Mark Anthony Paredes

Huntington Beach Union High School District
Trustee – Christine Hernandez
Trustee – Bonnie Castrey

La Habra City School District
Trustee – Cynthia Aguirre
Trustee – Adam Rogers
Trustee – Emily Pruitt

Los Alamitos Unified School District
Trustee Area 1 – Marlys Davidson

Lowell Joint School District
Trustee Area 4 – Esther Evangelista

Ocean View School District
Trustee – Jack Souders

Orange Unified School District
Trustee Area 51 – Kristin Erickson

Rancho Santiago Community College District
Trustee Area 2 – John Hanna

Rowland Unified School District
Trustee Area 5 – Kevin Hayakawa

Santa Ana Unified School District
Trustee Area 4 – Katie Brazer Aceves

Savanna School District
Trustee Area 2 – Elizabeth Winkler

South Orange County Community College District
Trustee Area 6 – Ryan Dack

Irvine Ranch Water District
Director Area 3 – Soha Vazirnia

Mesa Water District
Director Area 4 – Russell Baldwin
Director Area 5 – Shayanne Wright

Midway City Sanitary District
Director – Sergio Contreras

Moulton Niguel Water District
Director – Lily McGill

Municipal Water District of Orange County
Director Area 5 – Randall Crane

Aliso Viejo
Measure G – YES
Measure I – YES

Huntington Beach
Measure L – YES
Measure M – YES
Measure N – YES
Measure O – YES

Laguna Beach
Measure S – YES

Governor – Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor – Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of State – Shirley Weber
Attorney General – Rob Bonta
State Treasurer – Fiona Ma
State Controller – Malia Cohen
State Insurance Commissioner – Ricardo Lara
State Board of Equalization, District 3 – Antonio “Tony” Vazquez
State Board of Equalization, District 4 – Mike Schaefer
State Superintendent of  Public Instruction – Tony Thurmond
Vote YES on all State Judicial confirmations

40th District – Pilar Schiavo
41st District – Chris Holden
42nd District – Jacqui Irwin
43rd District – Luz Rivas
44th District – Laura Friedman
46th District – Jesse Gabriel
49th District – Mike Fong
51st District – Rick Chavez Zbur
52nd District – Wendy Carrillo
54th District – Miguel Santiago
55th District – Isaac Bryan
56th District – Lisa Calderon
57th District – Reggie Jones-Sawyer
61st District –  Tina McKinnor
62nd District – Anthony Rendon
64th District – Blanca Pacheco
65th District – Mike Gipson
67th District – Sharon Quirk-Silva
68th District – Avelino Valencia
69th District – Josh Lowenthal
70th District – Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen
72nd District – Judie Mancuso
73rd District – Cottie Petrie-Norris
74th District – Chris Duncan

24th District – Ben Allen
26th District – Maria Elena Durazo
28th District – Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
30th District – Bob Archuleta
32nd District – Brian Nash
34th District – Tom Umberg
36th District – Kim Carr
38th District – Catherine Blakespear

20th District (vote for ONLY ONE of these two candidates)

Option A – Caroline Menjivar – The daughter of immigrants from El Salvador who served as a U.S. Marine. Endorsed by Senator Maria Elena Durazo and the Los Angeles Times.

Option B – Daniel Hertzberg – Spent nearly a decade working as a hotel worker. Wants to be an ally to hotel workers in the State Senate because he knows the backbreaking work of folding sheets and waiting tables.

State Propositions
Yes on Proposition 1 – Provides a state constitutional right to privacy in decisions about contraception and abortion.
No on Proposition 27 – Out-of-state corporations take 90% of money. No real CA investment or jobs.
Yes on Proposition 28
– Provides additional funding for K-12 art and music education.
Yes on Proposition 29 – Creates staffing, reporting, and disclosure regulations for dialysis clinics.
Yes on Proposition 30 – Improves air quality
Yes on Proposition 31 – Upholds the ban on flavored tobacco sales.

US Senate, Short Term  – Alex Padilla
US Senate, Full Term – Alex Padilla

26th District – Julia Brownley
27th District – Christy Smith
28th District – Judy Chu
29th District – Tony Cárdenas
30th District – Adam Schiff
31st District – Grace Napolitano
32nd District – Brad Sherman
34th District – Jimmy Gomez
35th District – Norma Torres
36th District – Ted Lieu
37th District – Sydney Kamlager
38th District – Linda Sánchez
40th District – Asif Mahmood
42nd District – Robert Garcia
43rd District – Maxine Waters
44th District – Nanette Barragán
45th District – Jay Chen
46th District – Lou Correa
47th District – Katie Porter
49th District – Mike Levin

US Senate – Mark Kelly
Governor – Katie Hobbs
Secretary of State – Adrian Fontes
Attorney General – Kris Mayes
Superintendent of Schools – Kathy Hoffman

US House of Representatives
District 1 – Jevin Hodge
District 2 – Tom O’Halleran
District 3 – Ruben Gallego
District 4 – Greg Stanton
District 5 – Javier Ramos
District 6 – Kirsten Engel
District 7 – Raul Grijalva

Corporation Commission
Lauren Kuby
Sandra Kennedy

City of Phoenix
District 4 – Laura Pastor
District 6 – Kellen Wilson
District 8 – Carlos Garcia

State Legislature
State Senate District 2Jeanne Casteen
State House District 2 – Judy Schwiebert
State Senate District 4 – Christine Marsh
State Senate District 5 – Lela Alston
State House District 5 – Jennifer Longdon
State Senate District 7 – Kyle Nitschke
State Senate District 8 – Juan Mendez
State House District 8 – Athena Salman
State House District 8 – Melody Hernandez
State Senate District 9 – Eva Burch
State House District 9 – Lorena Austin
State House District 9 – Seth Blattman
State House District 10 – Helen Hunter
State House District 11 – Marcelino Quinonez
State House District 11 – Oscar de los Santos
State Senate District 12 – Mitzi Epstein
State House District 12 – Stacey Travers
State House District 12 – Patricia Contreras
State Senate District 13 – Cynthia “Cindy” Hans
State House District 13 – Jennifer Pawlik
State House District 14 – Brandy Reese
State Senate District 16 – Taylor Kerby
State House District 16 – Keith Seaman
State House District 17 – Brian Radford
State Senate District 18 – Priya Sundareshan
State House District 18 – Nancy Gutierrez
State House District 18 – Chris Mathis
State House District 20 – Andres Cano
State Senate District 21 – Rosanna Gabaldon
State House District 21Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton
State House District 21 – Consuelo Hernandez
State Senate District 23 – Brian Fernandez
State House District 23 – Jesus Lugo Jr.
State House District 23 – Mariana Sandoval
State House District 24 – Analise Ortiz
State House District 24 – Anna Hernandez
State Senate District 26 – Raquel Teran
State House District 26 – Cesar Aguilar
State House District 26 – Flavio Bravo
State House District 28 – Stephanie Holbrook
State House District 29 – Scott Podeyn

Ballot Propositions:
Proposition 128 – NO
Proposition 129 – NO
Proposition 132 – NO
Proposition 308 – YES
Proposition 309 – NO


Distributed by UNITE HERE Local 11. 464 Lucas Ave., #201, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Not authorized by or coordinated with a City candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Additional information is available at ethics.lacity.org.

UNITE HERE Local 11 Housekeepers Submit 100k Signatures on Groundbreaking Initiative to City of Los Angeles

Initiative would follow lead of neighboring cities to mandate panic buttons and raise minimum wage for hotel workers

Los Angeles – Over one hundred housekeepers and other hospitality workers today turned in the petitions they have collected since late January to qualify their initiative for the November 2022 ballot. The initiative mirrors protections they have secured in Long Beach, Santa Monica and most recently West Hollywood.

“I am one of thousands of housekeepers in Los Angeles who will finally have panic buttons and other protections on the job”, said Martha Moran, a laid off housekeeper from the storied Chateau Marmont. “My coworkers and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and to receive fair compensation for the work we do. This initiative provides those things.”

Over one hundred thousand Angelenos have signed on to the measure that provides:

  • Panic buttons and other security measures to protect hotel housekeepers from sexual assault and threatening conduct
  • Fair compensation for heavy workloads
  • Automatic daily room cleaning throughout the industry
  • Expansion of minimum wage law for hotel workers
    “My heart is always with the workers, like my mother, who worked her fingers to the bone,” said Councilman Kevin De Leon. “The hard-working immigrant women and men who make up the hospitality industry in our city are the backbone of our economy and I’m proud to stand with them today as they submit their historic initiative petition. I’m ready to work with my colleagues on the L.A. City Council to transform this initiative into law. The people have spoken, and it’s our job to listen.”

“Even though I don’t work at a hotel, I understand that raising the standards for some of the lowest paid workers in the hospitality industry will bring up standards for all of us,” said Isha Kallay, food server from the Hollywood Park and Casino. “I wanted to collect signatures for this initiative because we need to stick together in order for all of us to get ahead.”

The housekeeping measure comes in response to the hotel industry’s attempt to cut labor costs and increase workloads by eliminating daily room cleaning during the pandemic. It also provides vital protections against sexual assault for housekeepers when cleaning guest rooms alone. The workers call on the Los Angeles City Council to outright adopt the law.

“The hotel industry has wanted to get rid of daily room cleaning for years, and the pandemic gave them the perfect excuse,” notes Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. “Angelenos have just shown the industry, led by the Chateau Marmont, that they see through the greedy pandemic profiteering tactics and stand with the housekeepers. I am hopeful that the Los Angeles City Council will do the same and outright adopt the ordinance. Los Angeles is a leading tourist destination; that should mean good jobs for Angelenos.”

Watch the entire press conference here
View more photos here

BuzzFeed News: The Hospitality Industry Is Bouncing Back After A Year Of Devastation, But Will Its Workers Ever Recover?

BuzzFeed News: The Hospitality Industry Is Bouncing Back After A Year Of Devastation, But Will Its Workers Ever Recover?

For two decades, Keisha Banks had worked on and off in the hospitality industry — until last year, when she was unceremoniously let go from her job as an event server at the Chateau Marmont via a mass email sent in March 2020 to employees of the iconic Hollywood hotel.

“When you work at Chateau, one of the things they say is, ‘We’re all like family here,’” Banks said. “And then to get this really blunt, ‘You’re cut off’ email was bad.”

It was the first in a streak of unfortunate events that has upended her life and the lives of many others like her.

Read more by Clarissa-Jan Lim on BuzzFeedNews.com

Rent Relief

EVICTION PROTECTION UNDER THE COVID-19 TENANT RELIEF ACT

The following is helpful information about renters’ rights and rental assistance. 

Am I entitled to protection from eviction under this law?

Yes, if the basis for the eviction is your failure to pay rent owed from March 2020 to June 30, 2021 due to “COVID-19-related financial distress.” 

Examples of “COVID-19-related financial distress” include: 

  1. Loss of income caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
  2. Increased out-of-pocket expenses directly related to performing essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic;
  3. Increased expenses directly related to the health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  4. Childcare responsibilities or responsibilities to care for an elderly, disabled, or sick family member directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic that limit your ability to earn income;
  5. Increased costs for childcare or attending to an elderly, disabled, or sick family member directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
  6. Other circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic that have reduced your income or increased your expenses. 

How do I qualify for this protection?

  • For protection from eviction through June 30, 2021, you MUST provide a written declaration to your landlord or property manager each month you are unable to pay rent due to a COVID-19 related loss. You can still send declarations for past months unless you have been served with a Fifteen Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit. 
  • Make sure to specify the month covered by the declaration; keep a copy of the declaration; and keep proof that the declaration was submitted (e.g., certified mail or email). 
  • For protection from eviction at any time on the basis of unpaid rent for the time period from September 2020 through June 30, 2021, you MUST also pay the landlord 25% of the total rent due for the period on or before June 30, 2021.
  • Make sure to specify the rental period that the 25% payment covers (e.g., “25% for February 2021”); keep proof that you paid the rent (e.g., rent receipt); and keep proof that payment was made (e.g., certified mail).
  • Note that the remaining unpaid 75% of the rent owed for those months will remain collectible by the landlord through a small claims court proceeding starting August 1, 2021, unless the landlord receives funding for those months through the State Rental Assistance Program as described below.

What if I cannot afford to pay 25% of the total rent due for the period from September 2020 through June 2021 required to qualify for eviction protection?

The State Rental Assistance Program provides the following two options for rental assistance for rent owed from April 2020 through March 31, 2021:

  •  OPTION 1 — This option requires your landlord’s participation in the program. The program allows your landlord to apply for funds to compensate it for 80% of unpaid rent from April 2020 through March 31, 2021. If your landlord receives this funding, the amount of unpaid rent you owe for this time period will be deemed paid in full. 
  • OPTION 2 — If your landlord does not participate in the program, then you may apply directly to the program and can receive 25% of the rent owed from April 2020 to March 31, 2021 to pay your landlord.

What kind of rental assistance is available if you cannot afford to pay rent that will be due for the period from April 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021?

You may apply directly to the program for funds to cover 25% of the rent for the months of April, May, and June of 2021, but it will be subject to funding availability. Funding for payment of rent from April 2020 to March 2021 due will be given priority.

What do I need to know about applying for direct rental assistance? 

All tenants may apply regardless of immigration status. Tenants who have a household income that is not more than 80% of the area median income will be given priority.  

You will need to show proof of loss of income due to COVID-19, which may include any of the following:

  • A letter of termination from your job
  • Your most recent pay stub with employer’s information
  • Documentation showing that you have applied for unemployment benefits
  • Documentation showing that your unemployment benefits have expired, including unemployment benefits provided through the CARES Act
  • For those self-employed: tax records, income statements, or other documentation showing loss of income
  • Other items will be considered

Where can I get more information about the State Rental Assistance Program? 

Call 833-422-4255 or visit https://landlordtenant.dre.ca.gov/ for more information on the California rental assistance program. The state program is already accepting applications.  You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible while funding is available.     

Apply for city-specific rental relief programs in California at the following links:

City of LA: https://hcidla.lacity.org  (Applications will be accepted starting March 30, 2021)
City of Riverside:  https://www.riversideca.gov/homelesssolutions/housing-authority/riverside-rental-assistance-program  (Application can be submitted now)
City of San Bernardino:
http://sbcity.org/cityhall/community_n_economic_development/housing/eviction_prevention_program_.asp   (Application can be submitted now)

What are my obligations for the payment of rent after June 30, 2021?

  • For protection from eviction, you are responsible for payment of 100% of your rent starting July 1, 2021.
  • The balance of the unpaid rent due to COVID-19-related financial distress is still owed. The law permits a claim for the unpaid rent to be brought in small claims court beginning August 1, 2021, even if the amount owed would otherwise be more than current small claims court limits.