San Mateo County Extends Eviction Moratorium Through End Of August
REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF) -- San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to extend the countywide moratorium on residential evictions from July 28 to Aug. 31.
The temporary moratorium protects renters from eviction if they cannot pay rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also suspends evictions in certain no-fault cases. At the end of the moratorium, tenants have up to 180 days to pay the owed rent.
Residents around the county are struggling to pay rent, due to the high cost of living in the Bay Area and the negative economic impact of the pandemic. San Mateo County's unemployment rate was 10.8 percent this June, compared to 2.2 percent in June 2019, according to data from California's Employment Development Department.
A San Mateo County staff report described many county residents as "rent-burdened", as they spend up to 50 percent of their income on rent.
The board voted unanimously to extend the moratorium, recognizing the need to protect renters and prevent the rampant evictions and homelessness that may result without it.
Some small landlords and property owners spoke against the moratorium and requested financial support. Through written public comment to the Board, they expressed their own financial burdens like an inability to afford mortgage payments due to missed rent, which puts their properties at risk of foreclosure.
This is the third time the board has extended the moratorium since introducing the regulation on March 24, after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order allowing local bodies to establish eviction moratoria.
That executive order now extends through Sept. 30. At Tuesday's meeting, some residents and city officials requested that the board take full advantage of the state's extension.
In the Bay Area, counties like Contra Costa and Alameda have extended their moratoria to Sept. 30
