Mono County COVID-19 News and Updates: March 27
Moratorium on evictions, Mono County property taxes, Supervisors approve $500,000 for disaster
State moratorium on evictions, banks agree to mortgage relief, Mono County property taxes are due, Supervisors approve $500,000 for disaster
By Monica Prelle
Gov. Gavin Newsom took executive action today to establish a state-wide moratorium on evictions, building on previous action authorizing local governments to halt evictions for renters affected by COVID-19.
On Wednesday the governor said that he was concerned about “what’s happening, or not happening at the local level,” and that if he didn’t see things materialize that he would look at state overlay, which he did today.
The new order prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent. It requires tenants to declare in writing, no more than seven days after the rent comes due, that the tenant cannot pay all or part of their rent due to COVID-19.
The tenant is still obligated to repay full rent and can still face eviction after the enforcement moratorium is lifted. The order is effective immediately through May 31, 2020.
The Mono County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve an ordinance prohibiting residential or commercial evictions on Thursday. Mono County Counsel Stacey Simon said today that they are currently analyzing the governor’s latest executive order, including its relationship to the county’s new ordinance, and will release information as soon as the process is complete.
Earlier this week Mammoth Town Councilmember John Wentworth recommended that tenants start having conversations with their landlords if they think they will have trouble paying rent.
“It is not in anybody’s interest to be exercising the burdensome laws of the state to get things resolved,” he said. “It is in everyone’s best interest to be talking to each other.”
The Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Workforce Housing Program is offering temporary housing leases, 90 days or less, to anyone who has been displaced.
Mono County Board of Supervisors approved funding for five or six hotel rooms to assist residents who are homeless or have been displaced because of the coronavirus.
The governor also announced on Wednesday that 200 state-chartered banks and credit unions committed to provide forbearance on foreclosures and mortgage payments. Wells Fargo, US Bank, Citi, and JPMorgan Chase also agreed to a 90-day grace period on payments for Californians that have been impacted by COVID-19. Bank of America did not publicly commit.
“While the state of California doesn’t have regulatory oversight of those banks, I’m sensitive to that, and I know that the banks certainly are sensitive to that,” Gov. Newsom said. “They are also recognizing the sensitivity to their customers, not just on the issue of being able to pay their mortgages, but also on credit ratings.”
There are no income provisions to qualify, but it does have to be coronavirus-related and requires documentation. The state is also working with the same banks to help small business and non-profits similarly.
Mono County property taxes are still due as scheduled on April 10. According to Finance Director Janet Dutcher, property tax collection dates are set by the state; the county does not have authority to waive or change those dates.
“Might I say, this is a difficult time to be labeled as a tax collector,” Dutcher told the Board of Supervisors on Thursday. “When we don’t have collections on property taxes there is a chance of defaulting on general obligation bonds and also creates shortfalls for all of our jurisdictions.”
The California of Association of Tax Treasures are working to sponsor legislation at the state level, Dutcher said, to create a waiver for non-payment related to the stay at home order, but state legislation is in recess and won’t resume until mid-April. If approved, the legislation would only apply to primary residents who have suffered a hardship due to the disaster and will apply retroactively.
As of Wednesday, the county still has $18 million in property taxes to collect.
“We need the money,” Dutcher said. “I don’t want to be the voice of doom, but if we don’t collect, our general fund will be short by $5.6 million dollars.”
That money pays for emergency medical services, firefighters, police, sheriff, and teachers, as well as administrative staff throughout the county.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to transfer $500,000 from the general reserve into the County’s Disaster Assistance Fund to support the COVID-19 emergency response to contain the virus.
This transfer decreases the balance in the general reserve from $3.2 million to $2.7 million, but the county expects some reimbursement from federal and state resources and any funding not spent after the emergency ends will be transferred back into the general reserve account.
Mono County is currently reporting eight positive cases of the coronavirus, 48 negative, 11 tests pending; a total of 67 tests have been administered.
Inyo County is currently reporting three positive cases of the coronavirus, 37 negative, and 29 tests pending. Two of the current positive cases in Inyo County are associated; Inyo County Public Health is continuing to conduct thorough investigations to identify potential additional exposures and notify contacts.
Toiyabe Indian Healthcare Project has three tests pending.
Monica Prelle is a Mammoth Lakes-based freelance journalist.