This week in affordable housing news…:

State update:

• Eviction cases in the state’s court system are expected to double this year, according to an estimate by the state Judicial Council, which is seeking funding to handle as many as 240,000 eviction cases as a result of the pandemic. Last month a U.S. Census Bureau survey found more than 1.9 million California renters report being behind on their rent due to economic issues related to COVID-19. In an effort to prevent a wave of evictions, the federal stimulus package approved by Congress last week directs $2.6 billion in relief to California tenants and landlords.
• As the state seeks to keep struggling Californians in their homes, many Southern California cities continue to push back on state requirements to build more housing—in particular the 1.34 million new housing units the six-county region must plan for over the next eight years through the updated RHNA process. A total of 47 of the 191 cities in the region have appealed their RHNA numbers to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), according to the Orange County Register. SCAG is hearing appeals through today, which have come overwhelmingly from Los Angeles and Orange Counties—two job-rich areas that saw large increases in their housing targets. So far SCAG has rejected nearly all of the appeals.

Federal update:

• In one of his first acts in office, President Biden extended by two months a national ban on evictions for renters affected by the pandemic: The eviction moratorium now extends through the end of March. The order does not freeze rent or relieve renters from any obligation to pay back rent.
• Affordable housing advocates are continuing to push the Biden Administration to act quickly on its proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which includes an additional $30 billion in rental and utility assistance. “All of the things that are in the bill are great. We need them, we want them,” said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. 

ICYMI – Top news stories:

Biden’s plans may offer hope to L.A.’s homeless population — if Congress goes along
Los Angeles Times
President Trump used the sight of tents in San Francisco and Los Angeles as a political cudgel to batter cities run by Democrats. But despite some stimulus money that paid for shelter and some behind-the-scenes talk intended to lead to wider solutions, the Trump administration offered little in the way of new homelessness policies. The new Biden administration is offering to spend more on the problem — but it will need buy-in from Congress.

Eviction cases in California projected to double
Los Angeles Times
California courts are bracing for eviction cases to double over the next year as pandemic-related financial woes deepen for thousands of renters across the state. Landlords are expected to file 240,000 new eviction cases — twice what occurs in a typical year, according to estimates by state court officials. The projection takes into account the looming expiration of state eviction protections, which end in late January. While Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to extend the renter safeguards, he’s also asked the Legislature to increase the judicial system’s funding so that courts can prepare for an eventual surge in evictions.