SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KERO) — California will extend its ban on evictions while covering back rent and utility payments for people who fell behind during the pandemic.
The state will pay for this under a $7.2 billion plan that Governor Gavin Newsom called the "largest and most comprehensive renter protection deal in the United States."
California placed a moratorium on evictions after Newsom imposed the nation's first statewide shut down in March 2020 and ordered most businesses to shut down because of the pandemic. That protection however is scheduled to expire Wednesday.
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The new agreement between Newsom and legislative leaders is that they'll extend the eviction moratorium by three months.
"Anybody that has been impacted by covid that owes rent going back to last April, not just this April, last April, we will pay a hundred percent of that rent. We'll also pay that rent 100% of it going forward, through September," said Newsom.
Officials haven't said how many people will qualify under this new plan but there's enough money to provide more than $10,000 each to a half-million tenants. All of the funds are coming from the federal government.
Newsom's administration believes the plan is more than enough to pay off rental debts for everyone eligible.
Another $2 billion in state money will cover people's unpaid utility bills.
