Wilson Signs Bill on Eviction Powers

Gov. Pete Wilson signed legislation creating a three-year pilot project in Los Angeles County that allows prosecutors to seek the eviction of tenants who engage in drug and gang activity, a spokeswoman for the governor said.

The bill authorizes such evictions when property owners fail to evict them, said spokeswoman Andrea Brown. Under current law, only landlords can evict individual tenants, she said, but they are often fearful of retaliation and attacks.

“We shouldn’t have to tolerate living next to a drug dealer,” Brown said. “If the landlord is unwilling or unable to evict these people, then the county should be able to step in and remove them.”

In the past, prosecutors have been able to condemn an entire building as a public nuisance but not focus on single tenants, she said.

With the passage of the bill into law, Brown said, “If adult grandchildren are dealing drugs out of an apartment, you can just evict them.”

Prosecutors, like landlords, would pursue eviction in civil court, where they would only need a preponderance of evidence, said Maryanne Gilliard, deputy cabinet secretary for the governor.