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East Bay Lawmaker Pusing New Protections For Renters

SACRAMENTO (KCBS) - Just days after Gov. Jerry Brown signed California's so-called "homeowner bill of rights" into law, Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) is pushing for new protection for renters.

The bill is meant to help tenants she says are unintended victims of the mortgage crisis - people who find themselves suddenly without housing because the place they've been renting is targeted for foreclosure. Skinner's bill would extend the written notice renters must receive if they are forced to move because of foreclosure.

"Through no fault of their own," she said of renters at risk. "They've been paying their rent on time, continually, not even knowing that the owner of the property was in arrears or in a mess, underwater with the property."

Current law only requires a tenant to receive 30 days' notice if they have to move because of foreclosure. She wants to extend that period to 90 days.

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

Skinner's bill has been approved by the Assembly and could come up for a vote in the State Senate next month.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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