A small landlord suffering economic hardship is suing the county of Los Angeles over its pandemic-related moratorium preventing the eviction of commercial tenants for nonpayment of rent. The lawsuit, Iten v. County of Los Angeles, which was filed Jan. 19 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges the county is violating the contracts clause of the U.S. Constitution. Former Marine and Vietnam veteran Howard Iten is a retired auto mechanic who depends on rental income from his sole commercial property, which is located in the City of Lawndale in Los Angeles County. The problem is his current tenant is an auto repair franchisee who has refused to pay much of his rent during the current pandemic, even though his business has been fully open the entire time; the tenant is several thousand dollars in arrears. “I think it’s wrong that the burden is placed on property owners, while tenants can take advantage of the situation,” Iten said in a statement provided by …