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Rent is due for many Los Angeles County residents who have lost their sources of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The County wants the public to know that there are protections in place for renters who are at-risk of being evicted, or not able to pay utility bills, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Kathryn Barger has signed an executive order banning landlords from evicting residential renters affected by the coronavirus. The ban is in place through May 31, 2020. The order states: 

“During this local emergency, and in the interest of protecting the public health and preventing transmission of COVID-19, it is essential to avoid unnecessary housing displacement, protect the County’s affordable housing stock, and prevent housed individuals from falling into homelessness.”

The order protects people who have suffered “financial impacts” due to the coronavirus. This means a substantial loss of household income due to business closure, loss of compensable hours of work or wages, layoffs, extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses or child care needs arising from school closures.

The protection extends to those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who are caring for someone diagnosed with the virus. The order also protects individuals who have suffered financial impacts due to compliance with the County’s recommendation to stay at home, self-quarantine or due to avoiding congregating with others during the state of emergency. The ban on evictions applies to only unincorporated LA County; the cities of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, South Pasadena, and West Hollywood have issued similar orders. 

Under the order, tenants must notify their landlord in writing within a week after their rent is due —  unless there are extenuating circumstances — that they are unable to pay their rent because of the pandemic.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting on March 31, 2020, Supervisor Barger co-authored a separate motion with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to prevent water utility shut-offs due to late or non-payment due to the impacts of COVID-19 and the Safer at Home order. The motion ensures that all people in LA County will continue to have access to running water during this public health crisis. This enables compliance with public health guidelines to wash hands often and have access to clean drinking water.

Public utilities have announced that they will suspend service disconnections for nonpayment and waive late fees, effective immediately, for residential and business customers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Los Angeles County residents can find more resources and information about COVID-19 online at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/ or dial 2-1-1. 

With warm weather forecasted for Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles reminds residents that the Safer At Home directives are still in effect, and cautions against “behavioral fatigue” that may set in, especially when it is tempting to go outside.

All L.A. County residents should continue to remain inside their homes unless it is absolutely necessary to leave in order to perform an essential function. Each time you leave your home, you are putting yourself and anyone near you at risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19.

Remaining indoors as the weather gets warmer in Los Angeles County can feel like a challenge. The following are some ways to keep busy and productive at home:

• Find a furry friend: Foster a dog, cat or rabbit through Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and save an orphaned animal.
• Connect virtually with loved ones: There is no better time to call, text, or video chat loved ones to check in.
• Use free online County resources for young children: If you are the parent or caregiver of a young child, decrease boredom and prevent the loss of preschool skills by clicking here to find resources and activities. The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) is also providing useful links and resources. Click here for more information.
• Work on professional development: Teachers and other education professionals may take LACOE’s free online professional development courses.
• Do art activities at home: Visit Create at Home for free and fun resources to  engage your family members with the arts at home.
• Get organized: Organize your personal spaces like closets, home office/desk areas, cupboards, drawers, and vehicles.
• Keep a routine: Take time to create and maintain a routine. Schedule time to eat, sleep, perform self-care rituals, pursue at-home hobbies, etc.
• Stay tuned in with yourself: Take time to monitor your mental and physical health every day.

And last but not least, make a “crisis deal” with your family members. Take time to talk about what truly matters to each of you during the COVID-19 crisis, and clarify essential wants and needs. Set clear priorities for your family. When this kind of communication takes place, set kinds of principles are communicated, the practical day-to-day decisions that come later are easier.

For more information and resources from the County of Los Angeles, please visit the County’s COVID-19 website.

The County of Los Angeles is standing up approximately 2,000 medical sheltering beds for people who either have been exposed to COVID-19 or who health authorities have determined need to self-isolate or self-quarantine but cannot do so in their own home.

“Los Angeles County is committed to providing medical sheltering sites that serve as a safe and comfortable place for individuals to recover, while protecting the community at-large,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “I am grateful to the teams working tirelessly to bring these sites online as a vital resource, and to the hotel and motel operators for partnering with Los Angeles County.”

The following is a summary of the County’s current progress in securing these medical sheltering beds:

• More than 900 medical sheltering beds are now available for people in need;
• More than 1,000 beds will be added by the end of the week;
• At this time, medical sheltering has been set up at approximately eight locations, including the following locations: Dockweiler Beach; Martin Luther King, Jr. Recuperative Care Center; and, several hotels located throughout the County including in downtown Los Angeles, near Los Angeles International Airport, Lancaster, Pomona, Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys

“The County’s medical shelters are designed to support individuals who need the help” stated Kevin McGowan, Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. “The County’s central mission has always been and continues to be to serve as a safety net for people in need. This includes, but is not limited to, people who are experiencing homelessness. During the COVID-19 public health crisis, the County continues to fill that critical role. We have mobilized resources to help individuals identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. More hotel and motel locations will be added this week.”

If you are a hotel or motel operator interested in partnering with the County and willing to provide your facility as a COVID-19 medical shelter, please visit doingbusiness.lacounty.gov. The County has created this website to quickly identify and engage interested hotel/motel operators in the COVID-19 response.

For the most up-to-date information on medical sheltering operations, including the number of clients at medical sheltering sites, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/incident-updates.

Los Angeles County launched several new digital tools today to help residents access up-to-date information about the COVID-19 pandemic. A suite of new interactive maps and dashboards are now live on the County website, providing—in one place—a digital hub for updates about virus case counts, emergency proclamations, and information regarding openings and closures for parks, recreation sites, and schools throughout Los Angeles County.

The new dashboards track, analyze, and display multiple data sources. They are the result of collaboration between the County’s Department of Public Health, Health Services, Parks and Recreation, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and the Office of Emergency Management. Though the focus is local, the new interactive sites also incorporate global data from Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracking map.

“These maps and dashboards are the latest step we have taken to keep the people of Los Angeles County informed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and connected to County services,” stated Kevin McGowan, Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. “The amount of information about the virus online can be overwhelming, and the data and updates change minute-to-minute. Our COVID-19 website, and its features including these new interactive tools, are a centralized source of trusted information.”

Four new dashboards are now available (covid19.lacounty.gov/dashboards):

1. 1. Case Count Dashboard: This map tracks and displays local Los Angeles County COVID-19 cases and deaths. The interactive dashboard allows users to click on a city or community name, zoom to the selected area, and view the total case count for that community, as well as adjacent areas. The dashboard is updated daily with case count data from the Department of Public Health.
   2. Emergency Proclamations Dashboard: This interactive dashboard displays local emergency proclamations throughout Los Angeles County.  Users can click a city name to see when a local emergency was proclaimed and view the official proclamation. The dashboard links to cities’ official websites and is updated as LA County’s 88 cities make proclamations.
   3. Parks and Recreation Closures: This dashboard shows the status of recreation activities, senior programs, and other services provided by County Parks and Recreation.  Users can click to find out which services are open, partially closed, or completely closed. The dashboard is updated as services change throughout the County.
   4. School Closures: This dashboard displays the closure status of the 80 school districts supported by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). Users can click a district to view schools and enrollment count. It is updated with information from LACOE.

These new dashboards are built on an Esri ArcGIs platform, and are additionally accessible through a mobile version. They are located in the County COVID-19 site’s Newsroom section, which also contains videos, photos, links to Incident Reports, and daily summaries created by the Los Angeles County Emergency Operations Center.

On March 25, 2020, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, protect vulnerable individuals, and prevent the Los Angeles County healthcare system from being overwhelmed, the LA County Health Officer has issued two new separate orders:

• Self-quarantine of anyone exposed to an individual diagnosed with or likely to have COVID-19.
• Self-isolation of anyone diagnosed with or showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 within 14 days of being in close contact with a person who had or was believed to have COVID-19.

These new Orders ensure that individuals who test positive for COVID-19, and those who are told by a clinician they are presumed to be positive for COVID-19 are required to self-isolate for a period of at least 3 days without symptoms, including being fever free without taking medicine, and 7 days since symptoms started, whichever is longer.  Additionally, those who have been in close contact with someone who is positive or presumed positive must quarantine themselves for 14 days from the last time they had contact with the ill person.

“It is critically important that everyone adheres to all the social distancing measures and practice good public health hygiene, including washing hands as frequently as possible,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health. “Individuals covered by these Orders should still contact their providers to get advice if they feel their symptoms are worsening.”

There are key differences between self-quarantine and self-isolation. Here’s what the new orders mean for you: