Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids

LOS ANGELES AP Los Angeles County leaders will vote Tuesday on whether to declare a state of urgency that would give them power to provide assistance for residents they say have suffered financially from ongoing federal immigration raids The move would allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind as a aftermath of the crackdown on immigrants A local state of exigency can also funnel state money for legal aid and other services Funds for rent would be available to people who apply via an online portal that would be launched within two months Supervisor Lindsey Horvath s office revealed The motion could also be a first step toward an eviction moratorium but that would require a separate action by the supervisors Landlords worried it could be another financial hit after an extended ban on evictions and rental increases during the COVID- pandemic Since June the Los Angeles region has been a battleground in the Trump administration s aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for more than a month Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U S from Home Depots car washes bus stops and farms Certain U S citizens have also been detained Horvath and Janice Hahn revealed the raids have spread fear and destabilized households and businesses They are targeting families disrupting classrooms silencing workers and forcing people to choose between staying safe and staying housed Horvath declared in a report referencing actions by the Trump administration She added declaring an urgency is how we fight back Last week the five-member board voted - to put the declaration up for a vote at its regular Tuesday meeting The sole no vote came from Supervisor Kathryn Barger who argued that the immigration raids did not meet the criteria of an crisis and that it could be unfair to landlords I m sure we re going to be challenged legally Barger noted The county s eviction moratorium during the COVID- pandemic resulted in multiple lawsuits Landlords are still reeling from the COVID-era freezes that cost them billions of dollars in uncollected rent and prohibited annual rent increase declared Daniel Yukelson CEO of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles He mentioned housing providers are sympathetic to tenants and their family members affected by U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement programs But he disclosed the association isn t aware of anyone unable to pay rent due to immigration enforcement If local jurisdictions once again allow rent payments to be deferred due to ICE enforcement exercises this will lead to the further deterioration and loss of affordable housing in our society Yukelson revealed Source