In response to complaints from residents and the Coalition for Economic Survival that more and more landlords are requiring rental payments be made only online, Sen. Ted W. Lieu today announced introduction of a bill that would ensure residents can continuing paying with check or money order.

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After reading CES' E-Newsletters regarding our efforts to organize tenants in 34 apartment complexes owned by Jones and Jone Management Company throughout L.A. to oppose their landlords demands for their rent to only be paid online, California State Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) responded by taking decisive action against this abuse. Senator Lieu has just introduced Senate Bill (SB) 1055 that would require landlord to continue to accept rent by check or money order.

Here are the links to the emails that prompted Senator Lieu to take this important action:

  CES Fights New Landlord Scheme Demanding Online Rent Payment

  CES Fight Escalates Against New Landlord Eviction Scheme

Contact Your State Senator and State Assembly Member to urge their support for SB 1055 .

Below is a news release from Senator Lieu announcing the introduction of his bill SB 1055.

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Sen. Lieu introduces bill to block landlords
from requiring tenants to pay rent only online

February 22, 2012

Complaints from residents prompt renter-protection bill

SACRAMENTO - In response to complaints from residents that more and more landlords are requiring rental payments be made only online, Sen. Ted W. Lieu today announced introduction of a bill that would ensure residents can continuing paying with check or money order.

"A growing number of landlords are no longer accepting checks or money orders from tenants," Lieu, D-Torrance, said about Senate Bill 1055. "Instead, they have begun to change rental agreements to require tenants - including the elderly, disabled and poor - to pay their rent online."

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The issue came to light late in 2011 when hundreds of tenants in apartment complexes in Los Angeles objected when the property-management group notified residents of a 300-unit complex that the only way they could soon pay rent was online.

Current law does not specify how rent is to be paid. SB 1055 revises the law to prohibit landlords from requiring online only rental payments.

"Many residents of the rent-controlled complexes are elderly, live on fixed incomes and either have no computer or know little about computers," Lieu said, adding that it was unreasonable to ask renters who may be struggling to make ends meet to invest in a computer, Internet access and related expenses in order to rent a residence.

"We applaud Sen. Ted Lieu for introducing this important tenants'-rights legislation to protect renters," Larry Gross, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Economic Survival said. "We believe this rent-online scheme is just another way to increase rent-controlled rents by evicting long-term, low-rent tenants who just happen to be, for the most part, seniors and the disabled. In other words, this affects those who likely are least able to pay online. "

SB 1055 is waiting to be assigned to a policy committee for review, which should occur within the next month.

Ted W. Lieu chairs the Senate Labor Committee and represents nearly 1 million residents of Senate District 28, which includes the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance, as well as portions of Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Pedro.

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COALITION for ECONOMIC SURVIVAL  (CES)
514 Shatto Place, Suite 270  Los Angeles, CA 90020
Tel: 213-252-4411  * Fax: 213-252-4422
Web site: http://www.CESinAction.org

Larry Gross is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES). He has been with CES for 42 years, since its inception in 1973.

CES is a grassroots, multi-racial, multi-ethnic tenants' rights organization serving low and moderate income renters throughout the greater Los Angeles area. CES is committed to organizing tenants to fight to ensure tenants' rights and preserve affordable housing.

Among CES' impressive track record of empowering tenants, securing concrete tenants' rights victories & new laws, and achieving institutional change include leading campaigns to win rent control in the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. CES also led the effort to incorporate the City of West Hollywood and elected CES tenant leaders to the City Council.

Larry was a member of the Los Angeles City Housing Crisis Task Force and served as the chair of its State of Existing Affordable Housing Sub-committee.

He was appointed by the Mayor and Chairperson of the L.A. City Council Housing and Community Development Committee to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Study of the Economic Impact of Major Rehabilitation Evictions.

Larry was a member of L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti's Slum Housing Task Force was an appointee to the City Rent Stabilization Ordinance Study Oversight Committee by the L.A. City Council.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the ACLU/Southern California, Tenants Together and the Healthy Homes Collaborative.

In 2014, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Larry to the LA Board of Animal Services Commission. In July 2015 he was elected Board Vice President.

In January 2012, Larry was appointed by the California Public Utilities Commission to its Low Income Oversight Board.