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SHHS: ACTION ITEM - Discussion and (if desired) provide a recommendation to the City Council on Establishing a Right to Counsel to Provide Legal Support to Tenants as an Extension of the Rent Control and Tenant Protections Ordinances
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Meeting Date: October 7, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Shannon Louis, Housing and Human Services Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5787
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee (10/02/2025)
Department Approval Name, Title Date: Tevis Barnes, Housing and Human Services Director (10/02/2025) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee discuss and (if desired) provide a recommendation to the City Council on establishing a right to counsel to provide tenants with legal support as an extension of the Rent Control and Tenant Protections Ordinance.
BACKGROUND
On March 3, 2025, the City Council directed staff to prepare an urgency ordinance establishing a Tenant Right to Counsel Program. On March 17, 2025, after discussing the options for a Tenant Right to Counsel Program, the City Council introduced an interim ordinance which would establish a Tenant Right to Counsel Program for a period of 12-months. On April 14, 2025, staff returned to Council with the interim ordinance and Pilot Program provisions for consideration and adoption. Council did not adopt the Tenant Right to Counsel Program. During that meeting, Council directed staff to return with options for a direct rental assistance program as an extension of right to counsel programming for Council to determine how to allocate resources to these programs. During its May 14, 2025 meeting, this body discussed rental assistance and legal support as a two-prong option to aid tenants facing eviction.
DISCUSSION
Current Legal Support
The City’s Rent Control and Tenant Protections Program currently contracts with Bet Tzedek to provide free legal support to tenants. Bet Tzedek currently provides one staff attorney to cover Culver City. The cost of the existing agreement for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 is approximately $160,000. Under the current service model, tenants receive legal support services in the form of advice and counsel, limited scope representation, and full scope representation. Tenants may access the services via phone, email, or during the weekly legal clinics held via Zoom. While Bet Tzedek endeavors to provide services to as many tenants as possible, due to limited capacity, at times tenants may not receive full scope representation.
Current Rental Assistance Programs
The City has directed staff to create a rental assistance program for Culver City residents, at or below 80% Area Median Income, facing financial impacts due to recent immigration enforcement activity. The program is set to be in place for six (6) months and will provide $1,000 monthly per adult.
In addition, rental assistance is currently provided by the City through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides about $1,560 monthly on average to participants. Funding for this program is limited to the funds received from the federal government and the City is not currently intaking new participants.
While the City’s Rent Control Ordinance and Tenant Protections Ordinance have measures to aid tenants in keeping rent affordable and maintaining their housing, neither Rent Control Ordinance or Tenant Protections Ordinance codify or extend rental assistance and/or legal support to tenants as an option to maintain housing when facing eviction.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
None
ATTACHMENTS
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