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u.s. news Diamars 22 Juni 2021

California weighs extending eviction protections past June

(AP) — Gov. Gavin New- enough to cover all of the un- ruary. In April alone, Cali-
som says California will paid rent in the state, accord- fornia accounted for 38% of
pay off all the past-due ing to Jason Elliott, senior all new jobs in the U.S. This
rent that accumulated in counselor to Newsom on week, Newsom lifted all re-
the nation’s most popu- housing and homelessness. strictions on businesses, her-
lated state because of the alding it as the state’s grand
fallout from the coronavi- But the state has been slow reopening.
rus pandemic, a promise to distribute that money, and “We’re getting back to nor-
to make landlords whole it’s unlikely it can spend it mal,” Carlton said. “It’s time
while giving renters a all by June 30. A report from to go back to work. It’s time
clean slate. the California Department to pay the rent.”
Housing and Community
Left unsettled is whether Development showed that of While employment among
California will continue to the $490 million in requests middle- and high-wage jobs
ban evictions for unpaid rent for rental assistance through has exceeded pre-pandemic
beyond June 30, a pandemic- May 31, just $32 million has levels, employment rates
related order that was meant “The expectation for peo- day care centers closed and been paid. That doesn’t in- for people earning less than
to be temporary but is prov- ple to be up and at ’em and schools halted in-person clude the 12 cities and 10 $27,000 a year are down more
ing difficult to undo. ready to pay rent on July 1 is learning. counties that run their own than 38% since January 2020,
wholeheartedly unfair,” said rental assistance programs. according to Opportunity In-
Federal eviction protections Kelli Lloyd, a 43-year-old That debt will likely be cov- sights, an economic tracker
also are set to expire on June single mother who says she ered by the government. But “It’s challenging to set up a based at Harvard University.
30. California had passed its has not worked consistently Lloyd said she recently lost a new, big program overnight,”
own protections that applied since the pandemic began in job at a real estate brokerage said Assemblyman David “The stock market may be
to more people. March 2020. and hasn’t found another one Chiu, a Democrat from San fine, we may be technically
Newsom and legislative lead- yet. She’s worried she could Francisco and chair of the As- reopened, but people in low-
ers are meeting privately to Lloyd — a member of the be evicted if the protections sembly Housing and Com- wage jobs — which are dis-
decide what to do, part of the advocacy group Alliance of expire. munity Development Com- proportionately people of
negotiations over the state’s Californians for Community mittee. “It has been challeng- color — are not back yet,”
roughly $260 billion oper- Empowerment — is sup- “Simply because the state has ing to educate millions of said Madeline Howard, se-
ating budget. An extension posed to pay $1,924 a month opened back up doesn’t mean struggling tenants and land- nior attorney for the Western
of the eviction ban seems for a two-bedroom, two- people have access to their lords on what the law is.” Center on Law and Poverty.
likely to give California more bathroom rent-controlled jobs,” she said.
time to spend all the money apartment in the Crenshaw Landlords point to the state’s Advocates say they were en-
to cover unpaid rent. But district of south Los Angeles. California has $5.2 billion to rapid economic recovery as couraged when Newsom
landlords and tenants’ rights But she says she’s $30,000 pay off people’s rent, money a reason not to extend the told Univision earlier this
groups are arguing over how behind after not working from multiple aid packages eviction moratorium much month that he “definitively”
long that extension should for most of the last year to approved by Congress. That longer. California has added wants to extend the eviction
last. care for her two children as appears to be more than 495,000 new jobs since Feb- protections beyond June 30.

Tornado sweeps through suburban Chicago, causing damage

(AP) — A tornado swept worse, I will say that,” destroyed the second floor of
through communities in Puknaitis said. “When you Bridget Casey’s Woodridge
heavily populated subur- look at the destruction that home. She sat in a lawn chair
ban Chicago, damaging has occurred over this five in the driveway before sun-
more than 100 homes, top- square block area or so, it’s rise Monday. Her 16-year-
pling trees, knocking out amazing that we can stand old son, Nate, said he was
power and causing multi- here and report that we only watching TV when the storm
ple injuries, officials said. had eight people that were swept through and he raced
transported to a hospital.” to help his mother get his
There was relief Monday, three younger siblings to the
though, as authorities report- Officials in the nearby village basement.
ed that it appeared no one of Woodridge said a tornado
had died. Less than a dozen damaged at least 100 struc- “I just heard a loud crash and
people were hurt in the tor- tures. The village’s fire chief I’m thinking, ‘Oh, what are
nado that touched down after said three people were taken my brothers up to?’ I go look
11 p.m. Sunday, and all were to hospitals, but he could not and I see the sky, and then I
expected to recover. provide more detail on their hear my brothers screaming gan surveying damage Mon- Radar also showed storm ro-
injuries during a Monday from the room,” he told the day to determine its strength tation over several other areas
At least eight people were press conference. Chicago Sun-Times. and path. The agency said of suburban Chicago, and in
hospitalized in Naperville, one tornado likely caused northwestern Indiana in the
where 22 homes were left Woodridge Police Chief Bri- Mayor Gina Cunningham damage in Naperville, Wo- Hobart and South Haven ar-
“uninhabitable” and more an Cunningham said early called the damage to homes odridge and Darien. eas, Friedlein said.
than 130 homes were dam- warnings likely minimized and other property in the vil-
aged in the suburb of 147,500 the number of injuries. lage “extensive.” “If there were no fatalities — The weather service was sur-
people that’s about 25 miles and there haven’t been any veying areas of northern In-
(40 kilometers) west of Chi- “It was a nighttime event, a “I’m just emotional because reported to us — that’s great diana and southern Michigan
cago. lot of people were sleeping, it is devastating to drive news considering the popula- to determine if damage there
weren’t aware of what was through the community that tion of the area, the level of was caused by tornadoes or
Two people initially de- going on,” he said. “The early I grew up in and worked in damage and the time of day, high winds, said Nathan
scribed in critical condition warning got people to shel- and share with so many won- after 11 p.m. when many Marsili with the National
had improved by Monday af- ter. And the fact that there’s derful neighbors,” she said. people may be asleep,” Matt Weather Service. He noted
ternoon, said Naperville Fire only three people injured Friedlein, a meteorologist that the town of Fremont in
Chief Mark Puknaitis. and the amount of devasta- The tornado was confirmed with the National Weather Indiana’s far northeastern
tion that’s in the community, by radar, and a team with the Service in Romeoville said. corner sustained “pretty sig-
“It could have been a lot it’s just amazing.” The storm National Weather Service be- nificant damage.”