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The ability to access the Internet has become a critical necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internet access is key to schools’ online learning programs, and is the gateway that connects members of the public who are in need of Federal, State, and local emergency information and resources that are obtained online.

However, the reality is that this essential tool has remained out of reach for many. According to American Community Survey Data for LA County, approximately 210,000 children have a computer at home, but lack an Internet connection. Nearly 283,000 households do not have Internet access.

“Today, Los Angeles County is taking a step forward to bridge the gap of Internet access — an issue that during the COVID-19 pandemic can quickly become a matter of survival,” stated Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Disasters can act as catalysts, driving change in how programs and services are offered. The WiFi Locator tool is an example of that. Our new portal and outreach support, performed in partnership with 211 LA County, will equip LA County residents with a one-stop-shop approach to getting Internet access.”

The County’s new Locator website is findwifi.lacounty.gov. Any member of the public can dial 2-1-1 to ask for assistance to get information from this website, or can visit the site directly. The website features a search tool, based on the user’s physical address, to connect them to various Internet related services, such as Internet access services for students, the location of free WiFi spots throughout the County (including free hotspots located in or nearby County libraries and County parks) and contact information for both residential and commercial broadband Internet providers and mobile (cellular) Internet providers serving the address.

Help is on the way for households struggling to pay rent as well as for mom-and-pop landlords struggling to collect rent and pay mortgage amid the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is partnering with the Los Angeles Community Development Authority (LACDA) on a $1.8-million federally-funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program in unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County’s 2nd District, which include Athens, East and West Rancho Dominguez, Florence Firestone, Ladera Heights, Lennox, View Park, Windsor Hills and Willowbrook.

“One of the most disturbing elements of this pandemic has been its impact to the housing stability of our region and our nation at large,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. “An unimaginable number of families are struggling just to feed their families. We must act with urgency and compassion to support residents and property owners weather these unspeakable circumstances. These grants will go a long way towards keeping hundreds of families housed.”

“The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program created by the Board of Supervisors will provide a dual benefit for two segments of our communities that are hurting,” said LACDA Acting Executive Director Emilio Salas.

“For income-eligible renters that were impacted by the pandemic, it will provide a lifeline to assist in paying their rent,” he added. “For our property owner community, many of whom are mom-and-pop providers of rental housing, it will provide help to meet their mortgage obligations on rental properties. The LACDA is pleased to work with the Board, our partner agencies, and 2-1-1 to kick off this vital program.”

The US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, provides emergency rental assistance grants to income-eligible households who suffered through a job loss, furlough, or reduction in hours or pay as a result of the pandemic.

In the Second District, $1 million has been allocated to provide tenants with up to $1,000 towards their monthly rent for up to three months. LA County has contracted with the nonprofit St. Joseph Center and HOPICS to administer the program.

Tenants can apply by contacting 211 L.A., either by dialing 2-1-1 or going to the website 211LA.org/covid-rental-help. In order to qualify, a household's income prior to the pandemic cannot exceed certain income thresholds – for example, $63,100 for an individual, and $90,100 for a family of four. All applications must be received by May 31st, 2020.

An additional $800,000 in grants has been set aside for mom-and-pop landlords to help them pay the mortgage on their rental properties. LACDA will administer the program, which is set to launch on Thursday, May 14th.

The Board of Supervisors voted to extend LA County’s eviction moratorium to June 30, 2020, with consideration of additional extensions every 30 days thereafter. The moratorium will now apply to unincorporated areas countywide, as well as in jurisdictions that have not passed their own rent stabilization ordinances.

As funding for these federal programs relies on US Census data, all County residents are encouraged complete the 2020 Census and be counted. In addition to mailing it in, residents can complete it online this year at my2020census.gov.

Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to exempt multi-national companies and publicly traded businesses from the County’s emergency tenant protection policies. This exemption ensures that businesses that have the means to pay rent do not exploit the residential and commercial eviction moratorium.

“These tenant protections are keeping families in their homes and small businesses afloat during this crisis,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, who authored the motion. “They are not meant to pad the bottom line of huge corporations.”

“The economic impacts of this crisis threaten to be just as profound as the public health ones. The vast majority of LA County businesses are small businesses – ones that have up to 100 employees and a median annual revenue of approximately $109,000. That’s not a lot of change to spare,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who coauthored the motion. “During these unprecedented times, we must all do our part to support these businesses that are the backbone of our economy, especially the ones that have been significantly impacted with a loss of income or impacted personnel due to the COVID-19 crisis.”

In March, the Board of Supervisors put in place an eviction moratorium which prevents both residential and commercial tenants in Los Angeles County from being evicted for not paying their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, in addition to extending the eviction moratorium, the Board adopted a motion authored by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Mark Ridley-Thomas to exclude commercial tenants that are multi-national, publicly traded, or have more than 100 employees from the extended moratorium. The motion also requires that commercial tenants that have between 10 and 100 employees to not have more than six months following the end of the moratorium period to pay back the owed rent.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the creation of a one-year pilot program to reduce the number of failures to appear in the County of Los Angeles’ courts, directing the Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender to utilize a technology-based solution to communicate information to clients to help ensure their appearance in court.

Acting on a motion by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, the goal of this pilot is to make courtrooms and courthouses safer and keep the jail population down in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while ultimately producing better outcomes for justice-involved individuals.

Piloting a low-cost text message-based communication and engagement tool can help low-income clients appear in court and at mandatory appointments, preventing technical violations leading to the issuance of bench warrants and resulting in costly warrant execution and incarceration.

“We must take advantage of the readily available, cost effective, emerging technologies to help reduce failures to appear and, at the same time, continue doing all that we can to keep individuals safe during this crisis,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “This is an important long-term goal in criminal justice reform and promoting alternatives to incarceration, and increasingly important given the pandemic and high volume of upcoming court dates.”

Due to the risk of COVID-19 spreading rapidly within the crowded jails, the jail population has been reduced from 17,000 to less than 12,000, a release of over 5,000 incarcerated individuals. Many of the individuals recently released have pending court dates as early as June; this expected increase in court dates adds to the urgency in reducing failures to appear, especially for those defendants from low-income communities. Moreover, reducing failures to appear is essential to avoiding re-arrests and the likely spike in the jail population that would result, which could undermine the County’s efforts to contain the virus.

“The approved pilot is a proven tool to get Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender clients back to court on time,” said Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia. “Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’s, and the Board of Supervisors’, prospective thinking will help reduce “failure to appear” warrants, decrease the number of arrests and prevent re-filling the jails with our indigent clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Other jurisdictions that have utilized similar technology have seen substantial reductions in failure to appear rates, with one study finding that text message reminders contributed to a 36 percent decrease in the failure to appear rate in New York City. Additionally, the savings associated with preventing failures to appear should prove to be considerable for Los Angeles County.