But, he said, those taxes are what counties and cities rely on to provide basic services.
“You could see the insolvency of these local governments if they're not able to collect property tax. We made it clear that we understood that,” he said. “But we also made it clear that we expected hardship exemptions for those that simply can't pay them. And there was some pushback ... but ultimately they agreed on a case-by-case basis that they would create those hardship exemptions to extend the payment options.”
When it comes to renters, Newsom said he has no current plans to expand his recent executive order that places a moratorium on the enforcement of evictions through May 31. Advocates for renters criticized the order as meaningless because it doesn’t prevent landlords from pursuing evictions in court — it simply delays the enforcement of those evictions until June.
Newsom said his office has cracked down on some counties where sheriffs' departments were ignoring his order and still enforcing evictions — and will continue to keep track of what’s happening at the local level.
“There are many cities that have put together even more aggressive renter protections than the state, and we think that's good,” he said. “And obviously, we will continue to consider additional steps as necessary.”
