T
he Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously to strengthen the city's anti-harassment law, which aims to protect tenants from landlord intimidation. The move comes after 13,000 complaints were filed over three years since the original law was passed in 2021, but no prosecutions resulted. Tenant advocates have long criticized the law as "toothless," while landlords argue it is one-sided and should also address harassment by tenants.

    The council has directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance with several amendments, including a redefined definition of harassment and a minimum civil penalty of $2,000 per violation. The changes aim to create incentives for private attorneys to take on harassment cases by awarding attorney's fees to winning tenants. Tenant advocates filled the council chambers, sharing personal stories of harassment and thanking Councilwoman Nithya Raman for her efforts to strengthen the law.

    The proposed amendments would redefine harassment as "bad faith" conduct that causes detriment or harm, a more concrete standard than the original law's requirement of knowingly and willfully engaging in conduct with no lawful purpose. The changes are expected to make it easier for tenants to sue landlords for harassment, providing them with greater protection against intimidation tactics used to push people out of rent-controlled homes.