Beverly Hills Delays Law That Would Block Tenant Evictions

The Beverly Hills City Council has postponed a proposed emergency ordinance that would have prevented landlords from evicting tenants in rental complexes of three or more units. The postponement came after some council members said the law was poorly worded and there was no indication of the threat of evictions.

Vice Mayor Benjamin H. Stansbury Jr. withdrew his motion for the law and asked the city attorney to rewrite it for submission at a later date.

The proposed ordinance, offered as an amendment to the city’s June 3 moratorium on rent increases, came as a surprise to council members, who were handed copies of it at the start of last week’s meeting. The law had been passed by the Rent Committee, a tenant and landlord advisory board, and prepared by the city staff.

Mayor Charlotte Spadaro complained that the council was not consulted before the meeting about the law. She instructed staff members to contact council members in advance when submitting future proposed laws.

Spadaro and Councilman Robert Tanenbaum took issue with statements within the law that tenants face “a current and immediate threat” of eviction. Tanenbaum said that city officials had not established that landlords were evicting tenants.

Rent Committee members told the council that the law was drafted mainly in response to fears among some city residents who told council members they feared eviction.