As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect families in Sacramento, the public health and economic consequences of the pandemic have cost millions of people their jobs and the ability to pay rent — leaving far too many renters facing the added threat of eviction and losing their homes. Now that these tenant protections have ended, landlords have not hesitated to evict Sacramento families. Sacramento Courts are at least 2 months behind in proceedings! And once they get their day in court, Eviction court proceedings are skewed to favor landlords: nationally 90% of landlords are represented by legal counsel vs fewer than 10% of tenants have representation. That’s why we are asking the Sacramento City Council to push for a Right to Counsel ordinance that would ensure Sacramento tenants going through eviction court have access to legal representation. Tenants in Sacramento only have 1 option for legal aid as long as they qualify as low-income, legal residents or citizens, & can manage to get an appointment. Any defenses for tenants are impossible to prove without legal defense. As a result, tenants default at high rates, and landlords count on this imbalance to file meritless eviction cases. This systematically sets up tenants to fail, forcing them to leave their homes and leaving them to deal with the devastating, long-lasting impacts of eviction. The harms of eviction run deep — having an eviction on your record results in blacklisting, as many landlords will not even consider an applicant with a prior eviction filing, even if they won the case. Eviction records follow people for years, stigmatizing already vulnerable groups and blocking them from housing opportunities. We need meaningful action to stop mass evictions during the pandemic and beyond. All people — regardless of their circumstances or background — should have access to legal counsel during an eviction proceeding and be able to have a fair chance to fight for their home.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect families in Sacramento, the public health and economic consequences of the pandemic have cost millions of people their jobs and the ability to pay rent — leaving far too many renters facing the added threat of eviction and losing their homes. Now that these tenant protections have ended, landlords have not hesitated to evict Sacramento families. Sacramento Courts are at least 2 months behind in proceedings! And once they get their day in court, Eviction court proceedings are skewed to favor landlords: nationally 90% of landlords are represented by legal counsel vs fewer than 10% of tenants have representation. That’s why we are asking the Sacramento City Council to push for a Right to Counsel ordinance that would ensure Sacramento tenants going through eviction court have access to legal representation. Tenants in Sacramento only have 1 option for legal aid as long as they qualify as low income, legal residents or citizens, & can manage to get an appointment. Any defenses for tenants are impossible to prove without legal defense. As a result, tenants default at high rates, and landlords count on this imbalance to file meritless eviction cases. This systematically sets up tenants to fail, forcing them to leave their homes and leaving them to deal with the devastating, long-lasting impacts of eviction. The harms of eviction run deep — having an eviction on your record results in blacklisting, as many landlords will not even consider an applicant with a prior eviction filing, even if they won the case. Eviction records follow people for years, stigmatizing already vulnerable groups and blocking them from housing opportunities. We need meaningful action to stop mass evictions during the pandemic and beyond. All people — regardless of their circumstances or background — should have access to legal counsel during an eviction proceeding and be able to have a fair chance to fight for their home.