As California evictions boom, whether tenants get lawyers depends on where they live

By Felicia Mello | CALMatters (CALMATTERS) – After years of living on the streets and in single-room-occupancy hotels, the cozy studio apartment in San Francisco’s Japantown felt like a sanctuary to Corey Lafayette. He’d moved with no furniture, so friends found him a mattress on Craigslist and contributed a massive globe and a mirror framed in wrought-iron leaves. He bought pots and pans and dreamed of decorating. As he cared for the plants on his sunny patio and walked through the building’s tree-lined courtyard, he could feel stress peeling away. No more stops by police. No more neighbors in his business or strict hotel rules.& At the apartment, he was free. But now, three years later, he had received an eviction notice. A building manager had raised concerns about the behavior of Lafayette’s guests. The notice said Lafayette had a right to legal counsel and gave a phone number. The streets were scary; he couldn’t go back there.& He picked up the phone. Lafayette was lucky: San Francisco is the only city in California that guarantees tenants& access to an attorney& in eviction proceedings. The city is one of 17 nationwide, plus four states, that have launched right to counsel...