In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a rent freeze for all apartments covered by the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO).
RSO Units, which are those located in multi-unit structures before October 1978, can see rent increases of up to 4 percent each year. Single-family homes and new apartment buildings are unaffected by Garcetti's executive order, which was announced on Monday.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the executive covers more than 624,000 apartments - the vast majority of the rental units in Los Angeles.
The rent freeze will remain in effect until the City's ongoing state of emergency is lifted.
The move from Garcetti follows several earlier actions by Los Angeles officials to provide some relief to residents facing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, including a temporary moratorium on evictions through the Ellis Act and for tenants who can prove an inability to pay rent due to the crisis.
In other COVID-19 news, Garcetti also announced a temporary suspension of farmers markets in the City of Los Angeles to ensure that they employ plans for social distancing. This follows reports of crowding at farmers markets during the City's safer at home order.
The City will also make pedestrian crossings automatic in Downtown, Westlake, and Hollywood, deactivating the beg buttons typically required to activate crossing signals.
