Contra Costa County tenants who don’t pay their rent could be kicked out of their homes after the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to not extend an eviction ban enacted in the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

The board’s action also prevents tenants from letting unauthorized people live with them for pandemic-related reasons.  Meanwhile, a similar reprieve for small businesses will also expire at the end this month.

The county had established the eviction moratorium to protect tenants who couldn’t pay rent after losing their jobs because of the pandemic or were impacted by the virus in other ways. And now tenants likely won’t find relief from California because the Legislature is expected to allow a statewide eviction moratorium to expire at the end of this month.

The state’s moratorium applied to nonpayment of rent due to pandemic-related financial hardships, while the county’s also prohibited “no-fault” evictions, a term used for any situation where the tenant didn’t breach the rental agreement

Tenants and landlords can still apply for rental assistance and reimbursements, which are managed by the state on the county’s behalf. On Tuesday, the supervisors allocated $71 million for the program, mostly from incoming federal COVID-19 relief money as well as about $28 million left over from the first wave of similar funding.

Under state law established this summer, landlords can’t issue an eviction notice for unpaid rent until their tenants are first given a chance to seek rental assistance.

In voting to end the ban, Supervisor Karen Mitchoff said tenants should know by now about rental assistance opportunities and community organizations should to do their part in helping them get the help they need.

“At some point this has to stop,” Mitchoff said about the eviction ban, which the county had last extended in June.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meet virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Screenshot) 

However, dozens of residents and tenants rights advocates urged the board to give renters more time. They spoke of pandemic-related financial losses that many tenants still haven’t recovered from and the added stress caused by abusive and threatening landlords.

“We know that the pandemic is falling most heavily on low-income communities and communities of color,” said East Bay Housing Organization director Sophia DeWitt, who wanted the ban extended at least through the end of December. “This really is a racial equity issue that needs to be understood and addressed.”

Although most speakers pleaded for the moratorium’s extension, some landlords told the board they can’t continue losing out on rental income. One landlord said he has a “white-collar” tenant who has been living off unemployment reimbursements and stimulus checks.

“It’s absolutely disgusting what’s going on right now,” Contra Costa resident Scott Macintyre said. “Sorry for planning for my future — shame on me.”

But others pointed out it has taken months for their rental assistance claims to wend their way through the state bureaucracy.

“We can’t just rely on the (rental) assistance and its future funding and think that that is enough for our community members,” said Karen Hernandez of Monumental Impact, a housing advocacy nonprofit in Concord. “We need a real safety net for them.”

Supervisor John Gioia, who voted to approve the extension, asked county staff to explore the possibility of using some of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for the legal defense of tenants facing eviction.

Supervisor Diane Burgis said she was sympathetic to those who are “still hurting” from financial losses but added that businesses need to fill vacancies and people ought to get back to work.

“I know it’s not perfect and we need to do better,” Burgis said, “but I believe we need to move on.”