First, we want to make visible the extent of eviction filings that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each case represents a rental unit housing individuals and families who faced eviction during a global pandemic.
Second, this map is a testament to elected officials’ inaction in the midst of human loss and economic devastation that are without precedent over the past 100 years. Each of these evictions represents a policy failure, cowardice when tenants needed elected officials the most.
COVID-19 pandemic-era temporary tenant protections are being lifted when renters need them the most. Advocates warned policymakers about this moment, but those warnings went unheeded. Now, we are in the midst of an eviction crisis.
In 2022, landlords in LA evicted over 34,000 tenants, a 172% increase in evictions compared to 2021. Eviction filing numbers have not only reached pre-pandemic levels — they have exceeded them
By all accounts, eviction courts are being flooded with tenants at a moment when neither courts nor local legal service providers have capacity to help tenants navigate the labyrinthine eviction process.
There was a housing crisis before the pandemic, and it remains. If you’re a tenant and you get Unlawful Detainer papers from your landlord, go to the Tenant Power Toolkit to get help. Contact Stay Housed LA to be connected to eviction defense services. And join your local tenants union here and here and here.
