As the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown in Southern California, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is considering issuing a state of emergency to provide the board with more power to assist those affected by the deluge of detainments and deportations.
“This escalation [in raids] puts thousands of our neighbors in extreme peril, so I believe we need to act now,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, asserting that the declaration is necessary “to give us every tool available to fight back.”
A state of emergency is a precursor to enacting an eviction moratorium for households that have lost income due to the raids, an action supervisors are interested in pursuing. The declaration would also allow the county to expedite hiring for roles that assist tenants.
The board voted 4 to 1 to have staff draft a state of emergency declaration to vote on in its Oct. 14 meeting.
Board Chair Kathryn Barger was the sole “no” vote, noting that she fully supports efforts to keep immigrant families housed but worries about the legal repercussions of the declaration as well as the burden a moratorium would place on landlords.
“I’m sure we’re going to be challenged legally,” she said, adding that “landlords are going to be held financially responsible [for unpaid rent] when it’s no fault of theirs, and they still have to pay bills and provide for their families.”
County staff said that eviction moratoriums typically result in some form of litigation. The county’s recent COVID-19 eviction moratorium was the subject of multiple lawsuits, including one that plaintiffs attempted to put before the Supreme Court.
Under eviction moratoriums, tenants who can prove they are affected by the ongoing state of emergency cannot be evicted for unpaid rent, but they still owe back rent once the moratorium expires.
In addition to the possibility of lawsuits or backlash from the Trump administration, staff highlighted that the eviction moratorium could have an unintended consequence of residents’ immigration status being revealed to their landlord if they use it to fight an eviction order in court.
“I do worry about the self-attestation and what vulnerable position we’re going to be putting our immigrant tenants in as it relates to verifying that they need the help,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. Nevertheless, she said she supports taking the initial step of declaring the state of emergency. “I think that’s important.”
Historically, states of emergency have been declared during natural disasters; however, staff said the criteria for such an action could be applied to the hardships generated by immigration raids.
Staff also highlighted additional pathways for protecting renters affected by federal immigration enforcement actions such as increasing rental relief assistance and upping investment in free legal services for tenants.
Horvath, who authored the motion, supported these suggestions but argued that the extreme situation necessitates bold action to protect residents from the economic harm of immigration raids.
She pointed to a June study from UC Merced that calculated that the mass deportation of California’s undocumented residents — who make up an estimated 8% of California’s workforce — would create a $275-billion hole in the state’s economy.
“Since June, ICE raids have detained thousands, spreading fear and destabilizing entire communities across Los Angeles County. Families are now afraid to go to work, to attend school or even to buy groceries,” she said. “As this fear spreads, so does economic hardship, and with it the very real risk of eviction and homelessness.”
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