State and local laws limit unnecessary evictions during COVID-19

Published on April 17, 2020

Alameda's City Council recently adopted an urgency ordinance that protects residential and commercial tenants from being evicted for not paying rent due to difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. You may have read about one Alameda tenant who lost their job as an on-site property manager, and was being threatened with eviction as a result.

The Alameda City Attorney's Office was contacted about this case on April 10. Paralegal Kristina Swafford, a member of the newly created City Prosecution Unit, immediately responded by directly contacting the tenant and the landlord to inform both parties of the relevant state and local laws limiting unnecessary evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By April 14, the landlord’s representative committed to the City Attorney's Office that they would forgo the planned eviction of their tenant. The resident can rest assured that they will not lose their home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The City created a page on our website with tenant resources and encourage you to read more about the City Council's actions at www.alamedaca.gov/tenantresources. If you are facing similar concerns in the City of Alameda during the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact the City Attorney Office’s Prosecution Unit at 510-747-4772, or email cityprosecutor@alamedacityattorney.org. 

For Immediate Release
April 17, 2020
Contact: Sarah Henry, Public Information Officer
510-747-4714, shenry@alamedaca.gov