California authorities announced Monday the state plans to pay off 100 percent of unpaid rent accumulated during the pandemic, with the money to come from some $5.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds. California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a tweet Monday that, “California is planning rent forgiveness on a scale never seen before in the United States,” attributing the post to a report by the New York Times, which noted that state lawmakers were putting the final touches on the program. While eligibility criteria for the newly proposed program are still unclear, reports indicate that the measure would both give renters in arrears a clean slate and make landlords whole. The state currently has about $5.2 billion on hand from multiple Congressional aid packages that is earmarked to pay off unpaid rent, Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Newsom on housing and homelessness, told the Associated Press. Elliott added that this amount should be …