COVID-19 unemployment may be contributing to rise in rent dispute calls to LAPD, data shows

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The first of the month means rent is due for many Angelenos.

And economic unrest amid the COVID-19 pandemic may be contributing to an increase in calls to LAPD for problems between landlords and tenants, according to an analysis of LAPD data by USC's data journalism organization, Crosstown and ABC7.

On April 1, there were 50 such calls to LAPD, a 56% increase from the year before and nearly double the month before. On Sept. 1, there were 48 such calls to LAPD, more than double the year before and nearly double the month before.

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The calls were lower in the months of May and June as the city continued a moratorium on evictions, rent relief and people out of work could get an extra $600 in unemployment through the CARES Act.

The extra unemployment benefits expired on July 25. And while unemployed Californians may be eligible to receive an extra $300 per week, many have yet to receive benefits.

The August unemployment rate in the city of L.A. was about 16.8%, according to preliminary figures from California Employment Development Department. That's higher than the state unemployment rate at about 11.6%.

Statewide, an additional 226,179 Californians applied for regular unemployment last week, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is about the same from last week's number and it brings total unemployment filings since the outbreak to nearly 9 million, or about 46% of the workforce.

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California lawmakers passed a bill in late August extending eviction projection through January.