Eviction moratorium protections are set to expire at the end of January, but help is on the way.

It’s an anxious time for some renters, as each passing day brings them closer to the end of California’s pandemic-related eviction protections on Jan. 31. One out-of-work Monterey Peninsula renter asked friends to donate online in hopes of raising $4,000 by the deadline to stop their landlord from beginning the eviction process on Feb. 1. (There’s a 25-percent minimum due for tenants who are behind, as outlined in the state’s eviction moratorium, Assembly Bill 3088, passed in August.)

Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Jan. 6 he was open to extending AB 3088, and it appears with just a week to go before the last legislative session of the month, there will be an extension. Two applicable bills were introduced in Sacramento last month: AB 15 would extend the moratorium to Dec. 31, 2021, and Senate Bill 3, which moves it to March 31, 2021. Some version of the two is expected to pass next week.

State Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, is a co-author of SB 3 and is in talks with the leadership of both chambers to get something hammered out. “Ensuring tenants remain housed and small landlords get relief is still the number-one priority right now,” says Elisa Rivera, Caballero’s spokesperson.

In December, the U.S. Congress passed – and former president Donald Trump signed at the last minute – another pandemic stimulus package that will send $2.6 billion to California. Some of that will be shared with cities and counties to provide emergency rental payments, similar to a program in the city of Monterey.

President Joe Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion package on Jan. 14, which includes extending a federal eviction moratorium and $30 billion in rental assistance.