Thread by @nithyavraman

As we exit our second weekend of self-quarantine, it can be hard to feel anything but powerless in the face of this unprecedented pandemic.

But there is also an opportunity now to acknowledge and repair the faultlines that have weakened our city for decades. (THREAD)

Last Tuesday I watched the live feed of the city council meeting in response to COVID. As I listened to each councilmember make their remarks, I was astounded at how bound they were by the politics of inaction they'd practiced for decades.

To me, the most revealing moment came during discussion on a motion to provide an eviction moratorium. @MikeBoninLA’s motion initially provided 24 months for tenants to pay back the rent they owed.

I watched in shock at how the rest of the council responded.

Other councilmembers immediately brought up the issue of "mom and pop" landlords who may suffer as a result of non-payment of rent.

Instead of 24 months, the Council shortened the repayment period for rent to *six*.

Let’s put this discussion in context:

Rents in Los Angeles before the pandemic had risen to unsustainably high levels. For decades, we protected landlords at the expense of renters, allowing prices to rise to the point where the very demographics of our city changed.

The skyrocketing rents led to an explosion of homelessness. Thousands upon thousands of residents were displaced, including so many black Angelenos.

We'd already begun to transform our city from one where working people could survive to one that is only livable for the wealthy.

In a city anchored by the service and entertainment industries, both now reeling, the pandemic has deepened existing frailties: the lack of a guaranteed paycheck, incredibly high costs for basic necessities like food, housing, and transportation, terrible or no insurance.

This is no longer a question of protecting tenants OR mom and pop landlords. We can and must do both.

Across the country, there are enough politicians fighting for the interests of landlords.

For once, I'm asking that we in Los Angeles focus on the rights of tenants *first*.

On Monday, I want you to call your City Council representative, and ask them to include at minimum a 24-month rent repayment period, significant access to emergency rental assistance, and a moratorium on evictions without having to show proof of COVID-related income losses.

Ask that they follow the guidelines offered by the #HealthyLA coalition, which include a moratorium on utility shutoffs, rent freezes, plus vital protections for our unhoused neighbors, hospitality, and food service workers. healthyla.org/emergency-acti…

Demand that they work with the state to suspend mortgages and rents, *without* means testing, as the Housing Now! coalition is demanding across the state.

It is the only way that so many residents without a safety net will be able stay in their housing. drive.google.com/file/d/1RgHSti…

We cannot end this crisis and immediately start a new one for residents.

What kind of fair solution ends up with millions of our neighbors drowning in new housing debt?

Together we can ensure justice for ALL our neighbors, instead of punishing them for surviving a pandemic.

Politicians always talk about ending “business as usual.” Now, business as usual has been upended for us.

Let us see through this crisis to imagine a reality where housing is truly a human right. We need that reality now more than ever before.