California courts eye ending rental, eviction protections

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, chairman of the Assembly housing committee, center, speaks during a news conference, in Sacramento, Calif. California judicial leaders are considering an early end to statewide emergency orders suspending foreclosures and evictions during the coronavirus pandemic, prompting objections from lawmakers and advocates, including Chiu, that they may be acting too soon and disproportionately harming minorities in the midst of civil unrest over the deaths of black people at the hands of police. The state's Judicial Council in early April delayed all eviction cases from moving forward as one of 13 steps responding to the pandemic. "Millions of Californians are hanging on by a thread financially," he said in a statement. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)