By SAJE Staff

April 1, 2025

The new ordinance, the strongest of its kind in the nation, guarantees tenants the right to an attorney in eviction court proceedings

Los Angeles City Council made eviction court proceedings more equitable by voting unanimously to approve the Tenant Right to Counsel Program Ordinance. The ordinance guarantees free, full-scope legal representation for eligible renters facing eviction. It will be administered by Stay Housed LA, a partnership between Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, community organizations, and legal service providers that connects renters at risk of eviction with resources to keep them housed. It will be funded with dollars raised by Measure ULA.

“SAJE applauds the Los Angeles City Council for standing up for renters today,” said Pablo Estupiñan, Director of SAJE’s anti-eviction work and the Los Angeles Right to Counsel Campaign. “There’s been an imbalance of power in our eviction court system for too long, because most landlords have lawyers to represent them while most tenants don’t. The Tenant Right to Counsel Program Ordinance will make eviction court proceedings more equitable by ensuring both sides are similarly resourced. And, it will deter bad actors from filing frivolous and illegal evictions in the first place.”

Under the new Tenant Right to Counsel, renters earning 80% AMI or less will have the access to a lawyer during eviction proceedings. Citywide access to representation will be phased in over the next five to seven years, with tenants in high-vulnerability zip codes receiving priority access to legal services in the short-term. Renters in public housing who face subsidy terminations are also eligible, making the ordinance one of the strongest of its kind in the nation. This is also the only Tenant Right to Counsel ordinance in the nation that supports a robust outreach and education program. Landlords and housing providers will be required to notify renters about the ordinance, and notifications will be available in 16 languages to accommodate the city’s diverse renter population.

The ordinance also encompasses outreach, education, and legal advice to help renters respond to court summons. More than half of eviction court cases in Los Angeles end in default judgments—meaning renters lose their homes because they don’t properly respond to the legal paperwork, and not because they are in violation of their lease.

Each year, nearly 46,000 Angelenos receive eviction notices. These evictions are exacerbating the city’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis, with a disproportionate impact on working-class communities of color. They fuel rising rents, put more unhoused people on our streets, and trap vulnerable Angelenos in a cycle of poverty. They also make it harder to find and keep a job, to vote, to access services like education and healthcare, and to provide a stable environment for children. And, the threat of eviction keeps renters from reporting building health and code violations, perpetuating unhealthy housing.

“There is no question the Tenant Right to Counsel Program Ordinance will keep more Angelenos housed,” said Cata Romo, SAJE’s senior director of Stay Housed LA. “Even if a renter is ultimately evicted, a lawyer can help negotiate settlements that ensure soft landings, like adequate time to find a new apartment, a waiver of back rent, a financial move out offer, or a sealed record.”

“Fighting an eviction is not easy. If you can’t afford a lawyer, or you  don’t speak English, or you don’t understand how the court works, you can’t argue your side. My landlord tried to unfairly evict me, but the help I got through Stay Housed LA helped me win my case. Without the help of a lawyer, I don’t know where I would be,” said SAJE member and tenant leader Vilma Vazquez, who helped advocate for the new ordinance.

Today’s vote comes after years of organizing and advocacy by SAJE and other community-based organizations, renters rights groups, and tenant leaders who make up the L.A. Renters’ Right to Counsel Coalition. The coalition helped pass a similar ordinance in 2024, which established a renter’s right to counsel in unincorporated Los Angeles County. 

For more information about the advantages of a Renters Right to Counsel, read our 2023 report.