Pro-landlord shysters are served warning notice by Attorney General Rob Bonta

Pro-landlord shysters are served warning notice by Attorney General Rob Bonta

By Lynda Carson - April 1, 2022

In recent days, notorious pro-landlord shyster’s Daniel Bornstein of San Francisco, and Todd Rothbard of Santa Clara, are among some “91 pro-landlord shysters” (lawyers) who may have been sniveling lately after receiving a warning notice from Attorney General Rob Bonta stating that landlords may be filing false declarations to evict California tenants, and their families.

In a press release dated March 31, 2022, “California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that he sent warning letters to 91 law firms across the state that represent landlords in eviction cases after being notified that some firms and their clients may have violated the law. The California Department of Justice's Housing Strike Force has received reports that landlords, or the attorneys representing them, may be falsely declaring that tenants have not notified them of a pending emergency rental assistance application in order to push through evictions. COVID-19 emergency tenant protections prohibit landlords from moving forward with eviction proceedings while a tenant’s rental assistance application is pending.

“We have reason to believe that some landlords and their attorneys may be filing false declarations to push hardworking Californians out of their homes,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This is unacceptable, and more importantly, absolutely illegal. California families were already struggling with the high cost of housing before the pandemic, and these past two years have only made things worse. Our Housing Strike Force is investigating these reports, and if necessary, we will take action."

Under the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act, landlords are not permitted to evict tenants for unpaid rent due to COVID-19 related financial hardship unless (1) government rental assistance has been denied or (2) the landlord certifies that they completed a rental assistance application, 20 days have passed since the application was submitted, and the landlord has not received notice from either the government or the tenant indicating that the tenant has applied for rental assistance. Legislation passed today extends these eviction protections through June for those who have applied for rental assistance by March 31, 2022.”

For more, click on the link below…

https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-issues-warning-eviction-lawyers-after-receiving-reports-0?print=true

Some of the pro-landlord shysters who received warning notices from the Attorney General may be representing landlords who are members of the California Apartment Association (CAA), or California Association of Realtors (CAR), including notorious landlords such as Elizabeth Ann Williams, or Richard Singer.

In a press release today, “California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert reminding California’s tenants of their rights and protections under state law. Attorney General Bonta provides the following information to help Californians understand the protections in place as of April 1, 2022. More information and resources can be found at oag.ca.gov/consumers/covid-19. In addition to statewide protections, some cities and counties have additional rental protections, including limits on rent increases and requiring just cause for evictions. Californians should check what protections are in place where they live.”

For more, click on the link below…

https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/following-extension-eviction-protections-attorney-general-bonta-reminds-tenants

-Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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