The law targets "knowing and willful" actions on the part of landlords meant to drive tenants out of rent-controlled apartments.

A proposed ordinance meant to protect renters from landlord harassment will ban "'knowing and willful course of conduct' aimed at a specific tenant or tenants that causes harm and has 'no lawful purpose,'" reports Emily Alpert Reyes for the Los Angeles Times.
In addition to a long list of specifically banned behaviors such as threats of physical harm and neglecting to perform maintenance, the law also prohibits "any actions that “substantially interfere with or disturb the comfort, repose, peace or quiet of a tenant” and are meant to make the tenant give up their unit." The law also targets the financial incentives that drive landlords to push people out of rent-controlled apartments: "If a landlord is found to have harassed someone out of a rent-stabilized apartment, the property owner can be barred from charging more to the next tenant who follows that person."
"Legal advocates argued that by spelling out what kinds of actions amount to harassment, the new ordinance will make it easier for aggrieved renters to pursue a case, rather than trying to figure out whether it is covered by existing laws." According to tenants' rights advocates, "the L.A. ordinance will give tenants a crucial tool to fight harassment meant to prod them out of their homes as rents have risen. Similar rules exist in San Francisco, Santa Monica and West Hollywood." Landlord groups, meanwhile, have expressed concerns about frivolous lawsuits, claiming that in some cases tenants harass landlords, too.
The L.A. city council "voted Wednesday to ask the City Attorney to prepare a revised version of the ordinance that includes amendments backed by the council."
FULL STORY: L.A. is poised to ban tenant harassment. Here’s what the proposed law covers

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

Portland Council Tentatively Approves Sidewalk Repair Plan
The proposal would address sidewalk needs in Portland’s District 1 and District 4.

Expanding Access to Design Education at Honolulu Community College
Honolulu Community College’s Architecture, Engineering & Construction Technologies program highlights the role of community colleges in preparing nontraditional students for careers in architectural and construction technologies.

Integrating Human Rights Into Energy and Extractive Sector Transitions
Why just transition efforts must move beyond economic considerations by embedding human rights principles into business practices to ensure equitable, transparent, and accountable outcomes for affected communities and workers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions