Three City Council members introduced a motion Wednesday to establish a first-of-its-kind ordinance to protect small business owners in Los Angeles from harassment and displacement by their landlords.
On Tuesday, City Council members Ysabel Jurado, Eunisses Hernandez and Heather Hutt filed a motion to explore the creation of a so-called Commercial Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, which they say aims to protect mom-and-pop shops from coercive, retaliatory and bad-faith landlord practices.
Jurado, who led the effort, says she’s received complaints from residents in her 14th Council District, encompassing downtown and northeast LA neighborhoods. These local businesses — many of which are family-run and immigrant-owned — are being pushed out not because they are failing but as a result of harassment, sudden rent increases and coercive leasing tactics, she said.
“This motion gives commercial tenants real protections and sends a clear message: Small businesses should not be forced out simply because they lack the power to fight back,” Jurado said in a statement.
If approved, the motion would direct city departments to report on the feasibility of creating the ordinance, which would be modeled in part on the city’s existing Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, which was approved in 2021. The council and Mayor Karen Bass later approved amendments in 2024, strengthening the law with harsher penalties and tripling damages for harassment, among other things.
The proposed ordinance for commercial tenants would provide enforcement mechanisms, accountability measures and the creation of a private right of action for impacted businesses, according to the motion.
The motion will be considered by the council’s Economic Development and Jobs Committee before going to the full council for a final vote.
Hernandez, who represents the First Council District, which neighbors the 14th District, echoed Jurado’s sentiments. Hernandez said small business owners have yet to fully recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and recent economic challenges such as tariffs and rising costs have exacerbated the situation.
“We have a responsibility to explore tools that prevent abuse and ensure small businesses have the protections they need to stay rooted, serve their communities and thrive,” Hernandez said in a statement.
“Our small businesses employ thousands of Angelenos, many of whom are already struggling to afford living in the very city they help sustain,” said Hutt, who represents the 10th Council District. “Legacy businesses across my district, from Koreatown to South LA, will be further marginalized and forced from their indigenous neighborhoods if we don’t act now.”