LA City Council Approves Relief Measures For Residents Impacted By Coronavirus Pandemic
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles City Council Friday approved emergency relief measures aimed at helping people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic make it through the next several months.
The council approved an ordinance that provides for an emergency 10-day paid leave requirement during the COVID-19 state of emergency for businesses within the city of Los Angeles with 500 or more employees.
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The intent of the ordinance was to capture many of the workers left out by the $2.2 trillion congressional relief bill that was signed into law Friday that exempts businesses with more than 500 employees.
The city's legislation will allow Angelenos to take time off and receive pay for 80 hours of coronavirus-related time off that includes recovery, self-quarantine or care for children or family.
Both the federal bill and the city's new ordinance, which was adopted unanimously, exempt small businesses with 50 or fewer employees.
The council also approved a no-eviction ordinance that strengthens Mayor Eric Garcetti's executive order and doubles the amount of time that renters, homeowners and small businesses leasing property have to pay back rent from six months to 12 months.
"Today, the Los Angeles City Council took bold action to protect Angelenos in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic," Council President Nury Martinez said in a statement. "We voted to extend renters protections against evictions and protect low-wage workers by requiring large corporations provide their employees with 10 days of Paid Leave during this crisis so parents, especially the working poor, do not have to choose between work and their families' health. In this time of peril, who will be the workers' safety net, if not us? We are a Families First Council and we cannot overlook these people. They feed us, take care of our kids, cook our food, clean our homes, offices and hotels, wash our cars, mow our lawns, repair our buildings. If not us, who?"
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The council also discussed an ordinance that would protect tourism, hospitality and janitorial workers from losing their jobs in the event that the corporation they work for is sold to another corporation. The council requested city staff to report back on the matter.
The nearly 12-hour emergency session was conducted using Zoom.
