The message was grim. But what else could anyone expect in the age of COVID?
Members of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union and CAUSE, hosting an outdoor press conference by the Santa Barbara Courthouse warned that millions of California renters — through no fault of their own — could find themselves subject to legal eviction within two weeks unless new legislation is passed in Sacramento.
The tenants protection bill — so agonizingly hammered out this past summer — will expire as of February 1, meaning landlords can evict tenants who can’t afford to pay their rent because of COVID-related loss of income. One month after that, those same tenants will also be subject to small claims actions for unpaid back rent.