California residents, activists, advocates and legislators called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to cancel rent and mortgage payments during the coronavirus outbreak to “save low-income and working class individuals and families from homelessness.”
During a teleconferenced town hall meeting Monday afternoon, Newsom was called on to cancel the rents by several advocacy organizations throughout the state including Tenants Together, Housing Now!, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action, Housing Is A Human Right, PICO California and the Partnership for Working Families.
“The reality of it is people matter over profit, and today is a day to demonstrate that,” Hayward City Councilwoman Aisha Wahab said. “I don’t want to repeat the situation from the Great Recession. The banks kept all the homes and the people were impacted at the time.”
Wahab was one of several speakers who advocated on behalf of tenants and homeowners who have either already missed home payments or will soon miss one due to income loss because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We were already struggling before COVID-19 and we’re struggling now,” said Maria Guadalupe “Lupe” Arreola, executive director for Tenants Together.
Organizers of the virtual town hall called for more than just eviction moratoriums. They asked the governor to take a step further and outright forgive rent and mortgage payments.
Vannessa Bunes, a member of ACCE Action in Oakland, said federal stimulus checks and eviction moratoriums will not be enough for seniors, who are most at risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19.
“Getting a bill four down the road for April, May, June and July would be more than $10,000,” Bunes said. “My husband and I are senior citizens. We have more life behind us than ahead of us, so that kind of debt would throw us into homelessness.”
This is beyond stupid. The Governor can’t decree no one has to pay rent forever. What these people are saying is “you have something I want and I want the Governor to take it and give it to me. “
It’s not “forever”, just 4 months or so. Most landlords/banks are making enough profit from our rent/mortgage payments, they’re not going to go broke. They’ll be fine.
Looks like they’re making it up as they go along!
What about car payments, credit card debt, student loans, etc…while we are at it?
The state, counties and cities are all going to be flat-broke by the time “cower-in-place” is lifted.
Does that mean the government pays the landlord or does that mean the landlord pays the rent.
Just cancel rent & mortgage payments? Just waive a magic wand and deem it so? LOL
I know an elderly woman who largely lives off the rent she charges for a house she’s renting out. She’s kind enough to not charge market rate for it. So if the renter who is still working doesn’t have to pay rent, what is she to do for her own expenses? Is our lord & savior Gavin going to make good her loss on this? Me thinks not.
Why not? Big Daddy Newscum is forking out 500K a month of rent for the empty Sleeptrain. Looks like there’s lots of money laying around waiting to be given away. We’ll all be paying it back when the voters vote on higher taxes again anyway.
So is this how Newsom will keep the Sleeptrain Pavilion without breaking the bank…just not pay?
Unbelievable.
I can’t fathom the mindset of those people who want free rent.
There are a number of programs that will help people get caught up on the rent once work opens up again.
But they want all their rent for free?
Spinless Gavin will give into them.
I think the rent-free folks are unaccountable and irresponsible.
They’ve shown everyone the lack of content in their character.
Just stop this nonsense. Open all businesses and let everyone go back to work so they can pay their rent and mortgages.
People can wear masks and social distance.
It won’t be ANY different if we do it right now, or in another month.
Problem solved.
wait a minute here. Who is paying the landlords?
My rental is my income.
I am with you. Who will pay the mortgage on the rental properties? Not like the bank will forgive it?
Sorry, I do not rent, but I would be against this. If a landlord CHOOSES to forgive rent, that should be THEIR choice … who is the creep newscum to tell a landlord when they can or cannot collect.
Is Newsom allowing us to stop paying property taxes?
Article 1, section 10, clause 1 of the US Constitution is called the Contracts Clause. Among other things, it prohibits this kind of government action.
Typically while under arrest, The State picks up the bill for your room and board…..
Gets kinda pricey when you want to imprison 40,000,000 people all at once.
Plate of Bacon
The Bill of Rights is also part of the Constitution. James Madison wrote the first 10 amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power. They were added specifically for greater constitutional protection of individual liberties.
What makes you think the Contract Clause is more sacred than the Bill of Rights? What makes you think the Government will honor it anymore than it does Bill of Rights?
And so it begins……
Does this mean we can stop paying taxes to the state?
Easier to just send more stimulus checks…. Still have not gotten one.
Or open for business with masks and spacing and strict sanitation guidelines.. People have had enough house arrest and breaking rules daily.anyway.
I’m going to run out to Blackhawk and get me a house real quick!
Why not remove all property taxes, state income and sales taxes, auto license fees, etc.
We continue to pay without receiving the services for which we’re paying.
There was a time anyone proposed something this ridiculous they would have been laughed out of the room. In fact, that time was from about 40,000 BC until today.
Cancel all rent and mortgage payments during the coronavirus outbreak to prevent homelessness? They already passed some policies that say evictions cannot occur if you’re late or miss a payment. Just more democratic clownery and nonsense to get free stuff and take advantage of the pandemic.
Newsum is a Jack*** Remember this when he runs for President in 2024
I’d hate to see what he’d do in the slightest emergency on a federal level. It’s going to take California years to recover economically from this if it ever does.
Did they not anticipate that people wouldn’t be able to pay rent and mortgage when they coudn’t work? Show a stunning lack of foresight.
I’m calling for Newsom to resign. He’s obviously dug a hole he can’t get out of and taken us all into it with him. He’s beginning to look mentally disturbed.
What about tenants who are perfectly able to pay their rent?
Last time I cut my hair I used a pair of scissors and a straight razor. That was 2 years ago.
Not one word about our taxes. With all the money he is handing out the only thing he will say is that they must fo up. Lower our taxes now. We can start with our property taxes.
Do they not realize nor care that landlords still have a mortgage, taxes, insurance etc. that gets paid from rent monies?
Well, there goes Property Rights. Another basic tenet of our society. And how can Gavin, who does not own these properties, have the right to forgive rents or mortgages? Hey Sheepel, until we stand up to these Marxists they will continue to trample our freedom.
So wrong! Many renters I know have tons of money and many landlords, like myself, barely scrape by. Even if mortgage payments are deferred, landlords can’t pay the balloon payment at the end of the deferral. The state can send subsidy checks to tenants if they can demonstrate need rather than putting it on the backs of landlords that can’t afford it
Wait a minute here. How is it that the people on unemployment can not afford to pay rent? If say wife and husband getting max benefits @ $450.00 a week plus 600.00 extra from the new bill that past thats 2100.00 every 2 weeks. Wife would get 4200.00 and Husband would get 4200.00 that’s a income of 8400.00 a month. And they can’t afford a mortgage or rent. That’s crazy!! Just pay the rent and mortgage and get over with it!