LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles City Council committee Wednesday approved a request from the Department of Animal Services seeking to reinstate a COVID-era policy to ensure tenants can keep their pets in their rental units.
The three-member Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee voted unanimously to support the request, which calls on the city attorney to codify policy mandating that landlords and building managers allow pets in rental units until the tenant moves or relocates the animal.
Larry Gross, president of the city's Board of Animal Services Commissioners, said a lot of people surrender their pets because many landlords require them to, or it may constitute a reason for eviction.
"So, this proposal will address that issue. It takes what the COVID eviction protections originally did -- that you can't evict if you brought in an animal during COVID," Gross told committee members prior to their vote.
In March 2020, the City Council adopted COVID-related tenant protections, which also allowed tenants living in "no pets" buildings to either foster or adopt animals. However, the city rescinded those protections when it ended its COVID-19 state of emergency earlier this year.
"A lot of situations for tenants right now, who have brought in animals, are in violation of their rental agreement or their lease because they brought in those pets as emotional support animals during the pandemic," Gross said.
He noted some of those animals have lived with their families for close to four years, and to tell them they have to give up their pets is "cruel."
"It will have tenants having to make a choice of whether or not to give up a family member, move, or go on the streets," Gross said.
The proposal to reinstate the policy would allow animals who are living in rental units to stay there. When the animal leaves or the tenants leave, the landlord or property owner can convert the unit back into a "no pets" unit or continue to allow pets.
The proposal would still allow landlords or property owners to file evictions on certain grounds, such as if the animal creates a nuisance or presents a danger to other renters.
"So all of that stays intact, but it basically recognizes that we can't be going against our policy of trying to deal with the overcrowded conditions (in our shelters)," Gross said.
The request will be heard by the full council at a later date.