(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)It’s a familiar scene in Los Angeles County courtrooms: A landlord shows up to an eviction proceeding with an attorney well versed in housing law. L.A. County supervisors vowed Tuesday to shift the power dynamic, tapping their attorneys to draft an ordinance that would provide certain tenants in unincorporated parts of the county with lawyers during eviction proceedings. Tenant advocates say landlords are much more likely to be represented by a lawyer in eviction proceedings than their renters. A 2019 analysis of 4,200 eviction cases in L.A. County found that approximately 97% of tenants in those cases didn’t have lawyers. Tenants from across the county shared their stories Tuesday of unjust evictions and harassment they felt powerless to stop.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 12, 2023 06:44 UTC