Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

New Nevada Eviction Moratorium Comes Too Late For Some

  •  Bert Johnson 
Friday, December 18, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, Pool

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak speaks during a news conference on the state's COVID-19 response where he announced a 45-day extension on the state's residential eviction moratorium Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas.

Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, Pool

Three days a week, Jessica drives 45 minutes into Sparks, Nevada, to drop her son off at school.

Until this month, her commute was a lot shorter.

“I got a 30-day notice,” she said in an interview with Nevada Public Radio. “I was month-to-month, so I believe that’s why they wanted me out.” 

Jessica, whose divorce attorney advised her not to use her full name for this story, had been living in her studio apartment for three years. But when she lost her job as a manager in the ophthalmology field due to COVID-19, she couldn’t make rent. 

Jessica’s month-to-month lease meant her landlord was able to serve her with a “no-cause” eviction, which doesn’t require an explanation for why the tenant is being required to leave.

"I was forced to move out to a ranch with a bunch of friends, which wasn't ideal, but I have a 5-year-old son and I'm a single mom," she said. “I had to do what I had to do.”

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak recently issued the state’s second eviction moratorium since the pandemic arrived, just weeks before a similar order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will expire on Jan. 1.

Sisolak’s first moratorium, which blocked eviction cases from being heard in the first place, expired in October.

But for many Nevadans like Jessica, it’s already too late.

“I noticed a lot of people around my apartment complex had the same notice,” she said. “When I called my landlord to talk about it, she had to look me up, because she didn’t know which one it was. She said, ‘I just sent out 30 of these, so I don’t know who you are.’”

Bailey Bortolin, a Carson City-based attorney and policy director for the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers, says that’s because the federal ban didn’t do enough to prevent a rising number of evictions around the state. 

"It's going to change a lot of outcomes for people that he did step in and do something about this at the state level," she said. “There was a very real equity issue that we were facing.”

She said the main flaw of the CDC’s order was that it wasn’t specific enough, which has led to a recent surge in eviction filings — especially in Southern Nevada, where the Las Vegas justice court deemed them an essential function, allowing cases to be heard in person.

"We saw judges taking what was a really broad order, that wasn't written specific to Nevada law, and really narrowly applying it to allow for a lot of exemptions,” she said. 

She explained that the Gov. Sisolak’s new moratorium, which will be in effect through March 2021, goes further than the federal one.

"The landlord has to present evidence as to why they believe the tenant does not qualify for the protections, or present evidence as to a reasonable expectation that they will be foreclosed upon if they can't evict this tenant," she said.

But the state order also requires renters to submit a written declaration explaining how they qualify for its protections.

Rental assistance programs operated by the state and nonprofit organizations have been swamped with demand. According to Jessica, the delay contributed to her being forced out.

“They didn’t get back to me for like three months and then they wanted more details,” she said. “They said that they were so backlogged when I called that they don’t know when they would’ve been able to get to my application.”

She says she informed her landlord about the long wait, but that didn’t make a difference. Same goes for a payment plan she proposed, which she said was rejected. 

Even if someone is lucky enough to receive rental assistance, it’s not a guarantee they’ll be able to keep their place.

According to Jim Berchtold, directing attorney of the Consumer Rights Project at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, some landlords have been refusing to accept payments from such programs, which are sent directly to them on behalf of the renter.

He told reporters on Tuesday that he’s aware of at least two cases in which landlords refused rental assistance checks because of the tax implications. 

“The landlords apparently were not claiming the income from the rental properties,” he said.

Berchtold also explained it’s possible landlords are forcing tenants out in order to re-rent their units at a higher price. But it’s not a strategy he would recommend.

“That is risky from a landlord’s perspective, given that there are thousands of people in town who cannot rent right now, who have no money,” he said.

For Jessica, the experience of losing her job and then her apartment has been difficult to bear.

"I feel like I have zero control and not so much faith in my government right now. I hate to say that but it's true,” she said. “In regards to having stability or having faith that we’re gonna be taken care of, that’s gone out the door.”

Renters in Nevada who have been impacted by the pandemic can find more information about rental assistance at the CARES Housing Assistance Program website or from the Washoe County Human Services Agency. The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada has also published a guide to Gov. Sisolak’s newest moratorium.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    More about Coronavirus

  • NIAID-RML via AP

    Coronavirus In California: Latest Updates And Resources

    The coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of life in California and around the world. Here are resources and all our coverage at CapRadio and NPR.

 Coronavirus

Roxanne Pasibe

Bert Johnson

Former Reno/Tahoe Reporter

Bert Johnson was a reporter and producer based in Reno, where he covered the state legislature and stories that resonate across Nevada.  Read Full Bio 

 @bertjohnsonfoto Email Bert Johnson

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

A history of underfunding: North Sacramento residents call for investments in community

August 10, 2022

Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Wrangling over renewables: Counties push back on Newsom administration usurping local control

August 6, 2022

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

In California, abortion could become a constitutional right. So could birth control.

August 7, 2022

Most Viewed

Parties, stolen cars, a gun: 9 police complaints at Council member Sean Loloee’s disputed North Sacramento residence

California coronavirus updates: Can the monkeypox outbreak be stopped? Experts believe it’s possible

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Trump says he will not oppose the release of documents tied to the Mar-a-Lago search

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Parties, stolen cars, a gun: 9 police complaints at Council member Sean Loloee’s disputed North Sacramento residence

California coronavirus updates: Can the monkeypox outbreak be stopped? Experts believe it’s possible

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Trump says he will not oppose the release of documents tied to the Mar-a-Lago search

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.