The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the second round of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) on Nov. 2, increasing available funds by over $82 million to assist those who were unable to pay rent and utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal funding will be administered by the state’s department of Housing and Community Development. “Anyone who is less than 80 percent of the county median household income or has a COVID-19 hardship is eligible to apply,” Supervisor Katrina Foley said during a Nov. 2 board meeting. “We’re here to help.” She said if a landlord or tenant applies for rent relief before or 15 days after receiving an eviction notice, the application for the assistance can pause the eviction. Orange County initially received about $52 million in ERA funding before an additional $30 million was added under a “High-Need” allocation. High-Need allocation defines grantees eligible as “very low-income renter …