Council President M. Lorena González (Position 9, Citywide), Chair of the Governance & Education Committee, released the following statement after a King County Superior Court judge upheld two eviction protection ordinances González sponsored — the six-month eviction defense after the COVID-19 eviction moratorium ends and the ordinance allowing repayment plans of overdue rent after the COVID-19 state of emergency ends:
“Today, the City Attorney’s Office secured a major victory on critical pandemic-related tenant protection bills that I sponsored. Nearly a year ago, I got to work to protect tenants facing the eviction moratorium cliff by sponsoring two bills (Ordinances 126075 & 126081) to establish a COVID-19 eviction defense and provide payment plans for families after the eviction moratoriums end. These new laws provide families increased housing stability, as thousands of Seattle residents are still out of work and may continue to struggle to catch up on owed rent in the future. Thank you to the City Attorney’s Office for their legal work. The City’s legal success means Seattle families will be in a better position to recover economically as our economy begins to improve,” González said.