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Just Cause
Ensuring stable housing for all Long Beach families.
Purpose
In Long Beach, renters are only guaranteed eviction protections after their first 12 months of tenancy, and even then, many are still left unprotected. Loopholes in the current ordinance continue to put families at risk of displacement for reasons beyond their control. To ensure housing stability for all families, the City must make urgent updates to the Just Cause Ordinance that meet the needs of our communities.
Why do we need stronger protections now?
Nearly 60% of Long Beach residents are renters; many face the constant threat of displacement due to unjust evictions, rising rents, inflation and wages that have not kept pace with inflation.
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Homelessness
Long Beach is facing a growing homelessness crisis driven by financial hardship and eviction. The 2025 Point in Time Count shows a significant number of residents are losing their housing from loss of income or eviction. As of 2025, the number of unhoused individuals in Long Beach is 90% higher than in 2019.
High Cost of Living
A 2022 analysis conducted by Long Beach Residents Empowered (LiBRE) found that 52.4% of Long Beach renters are rent burdened, spending over 30% of their income on housing. Black renters experience the highest rates of rent burden in the city, limiting families ability to afford other everyday essentials.
Federal Budget Cuts
Federal budget cuts are expected to create major deficits for the City in the upcoming years. These reductions threaten the stability of public services, reducing access to housing support, health care, and food assistance.
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Lack of Protections
These outcomes are not simply a result of market trends, they reflect unresolved policy gaps. Since April 2023, Long Beach has recorded 164 substantial remodel evictions, more than the City of Los Angeles recorded before eliminating the provision altogether. Weak enforcement of tenant protections has earned Long Beach a score of 2.5 out of 9 on the Tenant Bill of Rights, compared to Los Angeles which earned a 7.5.
Upcoming Events
As Long Beach prepares to host major international events, signs of worsening housing conditions become visible. A USC analysis found a rise in evictions following the announcement of Olympic events, particularly in neighborhoods near future venues. Without stronger tenant protections in place, these trends raise concerns about displacement and potential abuse in the years ahead.
These conditions make one thing clear: without bold action, the housing crisis will grow.
Closing policy gaps is essential to prevent further displacement and keep families housed.
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Policy Demands
We’re calling on the City of Long Beach to strengthen its Just Cause Ordinance by closing harmful loopholes and expanding protections by:
Right now, landlords can use ‘substantial remodeling’ as a reason to evict tenants even if a unit does not require any necessary or major repairs. This loophole allows landlords to use minor upgrades as an excuse to displace tenants.
We’re calling for the removal of “substantial remodeling” as a legal basis for eviction. Residents should benefit from any repairs or updates to their unit.
‘Substantial remodel’ is a no-fault eviction that allows a landlord to terminate a tenancy if they’re replacing a major system, working with dangerous materials, work will take over 30 days, and it is unsafe to live there.
In Long Beach, a tenant can be evicted for falling behind on rent by as little as a dollar. This makes evictions the first response instead of the last, even when a tenant has consistently paid their rent for years before falling behind..
This campaign calls for setting a reasonable threshold for eviction due to nonpayment of rent, at one month of Fair Market Rent, so households facing temporary financial hardship have time to stabilize and avoid an unnecessary eviction.
A nonpayment of rent threshold is the minimum amount of unpaid rent that can cause an eviction. For instance, if the threshold is set at one month of rent, a tenant would not be at risk of eviction until they owe more than that amount.
Currently, many renters in Long Beach, such as those living in single-family homes, are excluded from Just Cause protections and can be evicted for any reason, at any time.
We’re calling on the City to apply Just Cause protections to all renters, regardless of unit type, landlord, or how long they have lived there. This will ensure all tenants have the right to stability, not just a select few.
Long Beach’s current relocation assistance amounts have not kept up with the real costs of securing and moving into a new home. Additionally, landlords are allowed to apply relocation assistance towards a tenant’s last month of rent without the tenant’s consent, leaving renters without cash in hand for a deposit or first month’s rent.
This campaign calls for aligning Long Beach’s relocation assistance amounts with LA County standards, which adjust for inflation, ensure funds go directly to tenants, and eliminates the provision that allows landlords to give rent credit instead of cash.
How do Long Beach Protections Compare to Local Cities
This is the space to introduce the Features section. Use this space to highlight your unique aspects and to present specific credentials, benefits or special features you offer.
Long Beach
Los Angeles City
West Hollywood
Bell Gardens
Removal of Substantial Remodel
Minimum Threshold
Universal Just Cause
Direct Relocation Assistance
Stories from Long Beach Tenants
This campaign is rooted in the real experiences of our community. These are the real stories of Long Beach renters and the reason we're fighting for stronger protections.
For over 6 months, my landlord abused tenant rights and put my health at risk. Despite reaching out to every department and city official, I received little to no help to stop the abuse I was facing daily. The systems I thought were meant to protect tenants did not step in or do their jobs.
"The City approved the permit, but the landlord never filed the correct [substantial remodel] forms to displace me. I was then given a notice stating that the work did not qualify for tenant displacement and that the 60-day notice was not valid. Despite this, my landlord never rescinded the 60-day notice."
"At a recent Housing Department meeting, the city reported 164 evictions from substantial remodeling since 2023. But cases like mine would go unreported, either because of inaccurate data collection due to a failed review process, or because the landlord have learned how to leverage the City’s negligence to scare tenants into self-eviction."