With the city just beginning to open back up, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday extended a moratorium on residential and commercial evictions through June 30 in an effort to protect businesses and renters affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The city's original eviction ban was approved March 25, when the duration of the pandemic was unclear and was set to expire at the end of May.
Council President Georgette Gomez acknowledged some landlords may struggle to pay their mortgages without rental payments from their tenants, and that financial aid to tenants and landlords is also being considered.
"The state is having conversations as well as hopefully at the federal level as well in terms of hopefully providing some sort of rental relief, and I know that there's been discussions here at the council of possibly doing something," Gomez said. "While that's occurring and is being put together, I do believe that this is something that is definitely critical for San Diegans."
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The moratorium requires tenants and businesses to notify their landlords in writing no later than the day their rent is due if they are unable to pay. They then have one week to provide documents proving their hardship is caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Councilmember Scott Sherman cast the only vote against the extension, saying the city should instead scale up existing rental assistance programs with federal stimulus dollars.
"An eviction moratorium extension not only kicks the can down the road, it will ultimately make matters worse for renters, landlords, and the local economy," Sherman said in a statement prior to the council vote. "An extension would cause renters to continue stacking up exorbitant debt and puts landlords which are mostly small mom-and-pop operations at risk of defaulting on their properties."
