Wednesday, April 1, 2020
CITY REMINDS TENANTS, LANDLORDS OF EVICTION MORATORIUM IN PLACE THROUGH MAY 31
As a reminder to Garden Grove tenants and landlords, on March 24, 2020, the Garden Grove City Council approved a local emergency resolution that includes a moratorium on rental evictions through May 31, 2020, for tenants who are unable to pay their rent due to causes directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Tuesday, March 24 regular City Council meeting, the Garden Grove City Council adopted Resolution 9613-20, ratifying a proclamation of a local emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution further adopted an order establishing a temporary moratorium on residential and commercial evictions and foreclosures in the city through Sunday, May 31, 2020.
The City’s moratorium applies when a tenant can document, as a result of COVID-19, the inability to pay rent due to a substantial decrease in household or business income caused by a: Layoff, or reduction in compensable hours of work; Reduction in open business hours or consumer demand; or Substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses.
The moratorium does not relieve a tenant of the obligation to pay rent, nor restrict a landlord’s ability to recover rent due, and was established pursuant to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-28-20 adopted on March 16, 2020.
On March 27, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-37-20 imposing a statewide moratorium suspending residential evictions through May 31, 2020. The statewide moratorium protects residential tenants under specified conditions, including a requirement that the tenant has paid rent prior to March 27, 2020, and the tenant notifies the landlord in writing before rent is due that the tenant needs to delay all or some payment of rent because of three specified conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Newsom’s order is intended to build upon his previous executive order granting the City specific authority to halt evictions for renters impacted by the pandemic.
Both actions require tenants to document the need to delay all or some payment of rent and still require tenants to pay their rent if able, or as soon as the moratorium expires on May 31, 2020.
Local residential tenants should follow the directives of Governor Newsom’s statewide moratorium. Commercial tenants should communicate with their landlords about the documented impacts of COVID-19 on their business, and work out a payment plan. Neither the statewide moratorium for residential tenants, nor the City’s moratorium (which also includes commercial tenants) can protect tenants that fail to pay their rent due to causes not directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To access Governor Newsom’s executive orders, visit www.gov.ca.gov/category/executive-orders/. To view Resolution 9613-20 of the Garden Grove City Council, go to ch.ci.garden-grove.ca.us/internal/archive-images/00/29/11/47.pdf. For information and resources on COVID-19 visit the City’s coronavirus webpage at ggcity.org/coronavirus or through the City’s Mobile App. View a PSA at: https://youtu.be/Xm4gMH9UN2E
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