Committee backs emergency extension of COVID eviction protections ahead of Sept. 30 expiration

Supervisor Dean Preston introduced an emergency ordinance to temporarily extend protections that limit residential no-fault evictions as the state and local eviction landscape evolves.

Preston described the measure as time-sensitive: protections for no-fault and nonpayment evictions were set to expire Sept. 30, and he urged quick action to prevent a wave of evictions while the pandemic continues. "I can't think of any way to describe this other than infuriating and a real capitulation to the statewide real estate lobby," Preston said, referring to recent state actions that constrain some local authority.

The committee heard no callers on the item and approved a committee report recommending the emergency ordinance to the full board. Passage by the full board and any further state-level developments will determine how long the local protections remain in effect.

Committee members praised prior unanimous board action that created earlier pandemic-era protections and framed the emergency vote as an effort to prevent evictions while the pandemic continues to pose health and economic risks.