LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles County officials will vote Tuesday on whether to declare a state of emergency that would give them power to provide assistance for residents they say have suffered financially from ongoing federal immigration raids.
The move would allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind as a result of the crackdown on immigrants. A local state of emergency can also funnel state money for legal aid and other services.
Funds for rent would be available to people who apply via an online portal that would be launched within two months, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office said. The motion could also be a first step toward an eviction moratorium, but that would require a separate action by the supervisors.
Landlords worried it could be another financial hit after an extended ban on evictions and rental increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since June, the Los Angeles region has been a battleground in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for more than a month. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the US from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms. Some US citizens have also been detained.
Horvath and Janice Hahn said the raids have spread fear and destabilized households and businesses.
“They are targeting families, disrupting classrooms, silencing workers, and forcing people to choose between staying safe and staying housed,” Horvath said in a statement, referencing actions by the Trump administration. She added declaring an emergency “is how we fight back.”
Last week the five-member board voted 4-1 to put the declaration up for a vote at its regular Tuesday meeting. The sole “no” vote came from Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who argued that the immigration raids did not meet the criteria of an emergency and that it could be unfair to landlords.
“I’m sure we’re going to be challenged legally,” Barger said. The county’s eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple lawsuits.
Landlords are “still reeling” from the COVID-era freezes that cost them “billions of dollars in uncollected rent and prohibited annual rent increase,” said Daniel Yukelson, CEO of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.
He said housing providers are sympathetic to tenants and their family members affected by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities. But, he said, the association isn’t aware of anyone unable to pay rent due to immigration enforcement.
“If local jurisdictions once again allow rent payments to be deferred due to ICE enforcement activities, this will lead to the further deterioration and loss of affordable housing in our community,” Yukelson said.
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Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids
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Los Angeles County officials to vote on emergency declaration over immigration raids
- Move would allow the LA County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind
- Since June, the Los Angeles region has been a battleground in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration strategy
Tanzania tourism suffers after election killings
- Tanzania’s white beaches and safari lodges are emptier than usual as the country counts the cost to its crucial tourism sector from the mass killing of protesters during recent election unrest
NAIROBI: Tanzania’s white beaches and safari lodges are emptier than usual as the country counts the cost to its crucial tourism sector from the mass killing of protesters during recent election unrest.
The election on October 29 erupted into days of violent protests over allegations that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had rigged the vote.
Police responded by shooting dead more than 1,000 people, according to the opposition, though the government has still not given a final body count.
With fresh protests called for December 9, there are fears of more disruption to come.
“The current situation is very disturbing,” said a hotel manager in Arusha, one of the cities serving as a gateway to the Serengeti safari park.
“In my hotel, 150 bookings and four international events that were planned for December have been canceled so far,” the manager said, adding the hotel was below 30 percent full, compared to two-thirds or higher for that period normally.
The government has insisted there is nothing for tourists to fear.
“Our nation remains peaceful, calm, and open to all,” spokesman Gerson Msigwa told reporters.
Beyond the Internet blackout and canceled flights at the height of the unrest, tourists have indeed been largely unaffected.
“I don’t think it’s having a real impact on us foreigners,” said French tourist Jeremy Fuzel, shopping for handicrafts with his wife and young daughter on the island of Zanzibar.
But business has been noticeably slow, said shopkeepers in the island’s capital, Stone Town.
“Sometimes there are a few slow days, but not two weeks in a row like this,” said Nazir Adam, a jeweller. “It’s the topic everyone is talking about here right now.”
- ‘Fear to speak’ -
That is a problem in the east African country where tourism has become the biggest revenue source, attracting a record 2.14 million international visitors last year and projected to make nearly $4 billion this year.
“Many people may fear to speak about the real situation but almost half of the tourism business is disrupted,” said a tour operator in Arusha, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of violent reprisals by the police.
Activists say tourists should stay away to punish the government for its violence.
“If you go snorkelling or swimming you might find body parts as we received solid information that bodies were dumped into the Indian Ocean,” said exiled activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai on X.
But others say tourism’s real problems stem from recent counter-productive government policies.
Nora Suleiman, founder of the Nakupenda Tours agency on Zanzibar, blamed a new $44 insurance fee and $90 passenger tax on plane tickets for putting off tourists.
Patrice Caradec, head of French tour operators union SETO, said the biggest problem was a ban on Tanzanian airlines flying in the European Union this year over a lack of safety personnel.
“Tanzania has been a hit with the French for several years,” but it dropped by 15-18 percent this summer, he said, largely because of the airline ban.
- ‘Rebuilding confidence’ -
The most frustrating aspect, Caradec said, was that SETO sent a team to help Tanzania deal with the paperwork to get the ban removed, but it was ignored by the Tanzanian government.
“Between the blacklisted airlines... and the riots, I can confirm that quite a few of our compatriots have decided not to go,” he said.
Mabrian, a consultancy using artificial intelligence to measure global sentiment about countries and industries, made a more direct link to the election unrest.
It found there was a 14 percent drop in its perception-of-security index for Tanzania in November among international travelers year-on-year. Hotel prices were also down 14 percent.
“Even once the political situation stabilizes, rebuilding confidence in travelers’ safety and security will remain a crucial and urgent challenge for Tanzania,” said Mabrian analyst Carlos Cendra.
The election on October 29 erupted into days of violent protests over allegations that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had rigged the vote.
Police responded by shooting dead more than 1,000 people, according to the opposition, though the government has still not given a final body count.
With fresh protests called for December 9, there are fears of more disruption to come.
“The current situation is very disturbing,” said a hotel manager in Arusha, one of the cities serving as a gateway to the Serengeti safari park.
“In my hotel, 150 bookings and four international events that were planned for December have been canceled so far,” the manager said, adding the hotel was below 30 percent full, compared to two-thirds or higher for that period normally.
The government has insisted there is nothing for tourists to fear.
“Our nation remains peaceful, calm, and open to all,” spokesman Gerson Msigwa told reporters.
Beyond the Internet blackout and canceled flights at the height of the unrest, tourists have indeed been largely unaffected.
“I don’t think it’s having a real impact on us foreigners,” said French tourist Jeremy Fuzel, shopping for handicrafts with his wife and young daughter on the island of Zanzibar.
But business has been noticeably slow, said shopkeepers in the island’s capital, Stone Town.
“Sometimes there are a few slow days, but not two weeks in a row like this,” said Nazir Adam, a jeweller. “It’s the topic everyone is talking about here right now.”
- ‘Fear to speak’ -
That is a problem in the east African country where tourism has become the biggest revenue source, attracting a record 2.14 million international visitors last year and projected to make nearly $4 billion this year.
“Many people may fear to speak about the real situation but almost half of the tourism business is disrupted,” said a tour operator in Arusha, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of violent reprisals by the police.
Activists say tourists should stay away to punish the government for its violence.
“If you go snorkelling or swimming you might find body parts as we received solid information that bodies were dumped into the Indian Ocean,” said exiled activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai on X.
But others say tourism’s real problems stem from recent counter-productive government policies.
Nora Suleiman, founder of the Nakupenda Tours agency on Zanzibar, blamed a new $44 insurance fee and $90 passenger tax on plane tickets for putting off tourists.
Patrice Caradec, head of French tour operators union SETO, said the biggest problem was a ban on Tanzanian airlines flying in the European Union this year over a lack of safety personnel.
“Tanzania has been a hit with the French for several years,” but it dropped by 15-18 percent this summer, he said, largely because of the airline ban.
- ‘Rebuilding confidence’ -
The most frustrating aspect, Caradec said, was that SETO sent a team to help Tanzania deal with the paperwork to get the ban removed, but it was ignored by the Tanzanian government.
“Between the blacklisted airlines... and the riots, I can confirm that quite a few of our compatriots have decided not to go,” he said.
Mabrian, a consultancy using artificial intelligence to measure global sentiment about countries and industries, made a more direct link to the election unrest.
It found there was a 14 percent drop in its perception-of-security index for Tanzania in November among international travelers year-on-year. Hotel prices were also down 14 percent.
“Even once the political situation stabilizes, rebuilding confidence in travelers’ safety and security will remain a crucial and urgent challenge for Tanzania,” said Mabrian analyst Carlos Cendra.
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