Senator Wiener, Assemblymembers Chiu and Ting Send Letter to San Francisco Superior Court to Ask for Moratorium on Unlawful Detainer Trials

March 18, 2020

Sacramento - Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), and Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), sent the following letter to the San Francisco Superior Court asking for a moratorium on unlawful detainer (eviction) trials during the COVID-19 crisis:

 

Dear Judge Wong,

 

We write to you as San Francisco’s delegation in the California State Legislature. We have been informed that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — including national, state, and local states of emergency and local stay-at-home orders — San Francisco Superior Court continues to advance unlawful detainer trials. We request that the Superior Court place a moratorium on all unlawful detainer trials with the exception of evictions resulting from health and safety issues (e.g., tenants harming or threatening to harm other tenants).

As we move through this unprecedented pandemic, we must focus exclusively on the health of our community. For example, a massive number of businesses and nonprofits are shutting down and suffering significant harm in order to keep our community safe. As we have with so many other aspects of society right now, we need to hit the pause button on evictions until this emergency ends. The last thing we need is for people to have to go to court and lose their housing exactly when health authorities are telling us all to stay at home.

Indeed, both the Governor and Mayor, by executive order, have recognized the critical importance of avoiding evictions during this emergency.

We respectfully ask the Court to stop moving unlawful detainer cases forward, absent a health or safety issue.

 

Sincerely,

Senator Scott Wiener, District 11

Assemblymember David Chiu, District 17

Assemblymember Phil Ting, District 19