The county has not fined anyone under new laws passed after last year’s wildfires.
A report from The Rent Brigade reveals that Los Angeles County has not levied any fines under anti-rent gouging laws passed after the 2025 fires.
According to an LAist article by David Wagner, The Rent Brigade says they found over 18,000 rental listings that appear to have violated a states law banning rent increases higher than 10 percent after a disaster. After the fires, “The L.A. City Council approved an ordinance in February 2025 that established a ‘private right of action,’ granting tenants the right to sue landlords in civil court they accuse of violating price gouging limits.”
However, no lawsuits have been filed under the city or county’s ordinances. “The various legislative tools that have been provided to hold landlords accountable for price gouging are not really being used to the extent that they should be,” says The Rent Brigade organizer Anjali Claes.
FULL STORY: After the fires, LA passed new laws against rent gouging, but they’re not being used
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