Spurred by 67 evictions filed in Santa Monica last year, the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to strengthen the City's "robust" tenant protection laws already in place.

The move is a response to a regional increase in eviction filings after COVID-related tenant protections expired during a persistent housing crisis, City officials said.

The added protections -- which will take effect on March 14 -- "clarify and expand the types of actions that constitute harassment" and "outline examples of prohibited coercion and intimidation," officials said.

They approved amendments also include increasing the maximum penalty for harassment from $10,000 to $20,000 per violation "to keep up with inflation and remain a meaningful deterrent," staff wrote in a report to the Council.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2024/January-2024/01_24_2024_Council_Strengthens_Tenant_Protections_Amid_Uptick_in_Evictions.html

AND: https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2024/01/24/council-approves-added-renter-protections-to-combat-rising-evictions