Tenant rights advocates rallied at City Hall in February 2023 when a motion to create a right to counsel program was first introduced. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Los Angeles City Council on April 1 unanimously adopted a new right to counsel ordinance, establishing a city-wide program for tenants facing eviction who are unable to afford legal representation. It is the final step in a process to draft and adopt an ordinance, initiated in 2023 by Councilwoman Nithya Raman and co-presented by Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Heather Hutt, Eunisses Hernandez, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Katy Yaroslavsky. Similar legislation in New York City and San Francisco has resulted in significantly reduced eviction filings as well as more people who faced eviction staying in their homes, the council members said.

In Los Angeles County, a record 45,000 unlawful detainers were filed in 2023 and an average of nearly 4,000 eviction notices were filed monthly in 2024. The recent trends are higher than the county experienced between 2015-20, immediately prior to the pandemic.

When tenants are unable to afford a lawyer, they frequently fail to contest an eviction notice, even if it’s unlawfully issued. As a result, many eviction actions end in default judgments against tenants that may have been able to make successful arguments in court if they had representation. The newly adopted ordinance establishes the Eviction Defense Program/Stay Housed L.A. as a permanent phased-in program citywide, codifying services and ensuring that eligible tenants have access to critical legal services.

“Establishing a right to counsel program is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. By investing in protecting tenants, we are not only keeping Angelenos housed, we are saving money in costs related to emergency shelter, temporary housing programs and health care,” Raman said.

“The best way to prevent homelessness is to keep people housed in the first place. Yet, too many tenants lose their homes simply because they can’t afford an attorney during eviction proceedings,” Yaroslavsky said. “By establishing a right to counsel for tenants, the city of Los Angeles will start to level the playing field for so many renters in Los Angeles facing eviction and keep more Angelenos housed.”

“After New York City passed their right to counsel law, 84% of renters represented by city lawyers were able to remain in their homes,” Soto-Martínez said. “Smart, preventative policies like this are what we need to stop needless evictions and keep hardworking families from falling into homelessness.”

For information, visit housing.lacity.gov.