The program would have offered up to $5,000 in rent or mortgage relief for qualifying low-income tenants, displaced wildfire survivors, and small landlords
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to delay a nearly $20 million Emergency Rent Relief Program proposed by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. The decision, made on September 2, refers the program to the County’s Operations Cluster for further review, with a follow-up vote scheduled for September 16.
The ERRP aimed to provide urgent financial assistance to tenants and small landlords impacted by the January wildfires, which destroyed over 11,000 homes and nearly 2,000 businesses, and to immigrant households destabilized by federal immigration enforcement actions. The program would have offered up to $5,000 in rent or mortgage relief for qualifying low-income tenants, displaced wildfire survivors, and small landlords repairing fire-damaged, rent-stabilized units.
Horvath, joined by community leaders from organizations like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and the TransLatin@ Coalition, criticized the delay, stating, “Too many families are standing on the brink of eviction, and today’s vote means they are left without the relief they urgently need.”
She emphasized that housing is a right and vowed to continue advocating for the program, warning that the two-week delay risks pushing vulnerable residents toward homelessness.
The motion, which Horvath introduced, proposed using $10 million in initial funding—$1.211 million from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and $8.789 million from Community First Choice Initiative (CFCI) funds—approved by the Board on June 24, 2025. An additional $9.788 million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and unclaimed Treasury Tax Collector funds was to be allocated during the 2025-26 supplemental budget. The program prioritized wildfire-affected tenants with incomes at or below 150% of the area median income, displaced households, and immigrant families facing sudden income loss due to federal raids.
The Board opted to send the proposal to the Operations Cluster for further evaluation on September 10. The Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) was tasked with launching the ERRP within 60 days, with authority to contract a third-party administrator and pursue additional funding from sources like philanthropy or the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA).
