Good Afternoon,
We hope you are enjoying the summer. We have some important news to share, including news from this week on state and national eviction bans, and an introduction to two new team members.
Late Monday, Governor Newsom signed into law a new residential eviction moratorium, which temporarily prohibits landlords from evicting California tenants dealing with financial hardship. AB3088 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco grants tenants who are unable to pay their rent because of the coronavirus pandemic a reprieve and gives them five more months before they must start paying again in full. Follow this link for an article in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle with information on the new law.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide ban on residential evictions through December 31, 2020. The full text of the law is available here. The Order does not apply in any State or local area with a moratorium on residential evictions that provides “the same or greater level of public-health protection,” and does not relieve renters of the obligation to pay rent. Whether the California moratorium offers “the same or greater level of public-health protection” has not yet been determined.
To complicate things further, a patchwork of city and county eviction bans remain in place. San Francisco County and Contra Costa County have frozen all evictions until the end of September, and Alameda County has extended its moratorium through the end of the year.
If you are unsure of your rights as a renter, talk to a tenant rights attorney. Tenant Law Group offers virtual attorney consultations for tenants throughout California and has extended a coupon code through December 31, 2020. Enter coupon code TENANTS2020 at checkout to receive a 20% discount (up to $75.00 in value) off all Tenant Law Group attorney consultations.
Last month, Stephanie Rivas joined the Tenant Law Group team as a Case Manager. A native Spanish speaker, Stephanie worked as a data and reporting analyst before joining the firm. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Welcome, Stephanie!
We would also like to extend a warm welcome to newly minted human and future tenant rights advocate Louie Toscano, who joined the Toscano Family in June and is enjoying life as a two-and-a-half month old.
Finally, I'd like to recognize Best Buddies, an organization doing incredible work creating jobs during these unprecedented times. Their Job Program helps companies meet their hiring needs and diversify their workforce by pairing them with qualified candidates with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies provides post-hire support, free of charge, to help ensure the individual’s success. As a result, an eye-popping 92% of individuals hired through the program stay in their role for at least one year. If your company or organization is adapting to a quickly changing job market and interested in supporting this incredible organization, contact Manager of Job Development Joey Williams at joeywilliams@bestbuddies.org.
Thank you for your continued support of Tenant Law Group. If you or someone you know has been displaced from a rent-controlled apartment without legal justification, harassed by a landlord, or has otherwise been harmed by a landlord’s unlawful actions, please have them call (415) 707-3859 or follow this link to get started.
Warmest Wishes, Eric Toscano 
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