The situation for thousands of San Diegans who were hard hit economically by the coronavirus pandemic due to layoffs got more dire at the end of July when weekly $600 federal checks came to a halt.
Easing the concerns of Chula Vista residents on July 28 was the news that the city council's moratorium on evictions, first enacted in early March, was being extended through the end of August.
In early August, Pres. Donald Trump executed a presidential directive instructing FEMA to send out weekly $300 checks. By mid-August, California had been approved for grants for the additional federal relief. Still, added to the state's maximum weekly unemployment benefit, that added up to $3,000 a month -- a lot of money in some places, but not in San Diego County, where the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment hovers somewhere around $1,800 a month.
So with unemployment rates in Chula Vista still sky-high (more than 15%, as of June), it will come as some relief to some residents there to learn that at Tuesday's Chula Vista Council meeting, the South Bay city once extended its moratorium on evictions. Law enforcement officials have been directed not to evict any city occupants through Sept. 30 if they can claim hardship due to the pandemic.
Tuesday's legal action by the council applies to "all residential properties, including single-family homes, rooms rented in single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums, income-restricted apartments (i.e., affordable housing), market-rate apartments and mobile homes and commercial tenant spaces in Chula Vista."
City officials took care to note that the ban on evictions only applies to those residents who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any evictions proceeding lawfully for any other reasons, such as the violation of lease terms, can proceed.
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