LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles City Council on June 23 adopted an ordinance aimed at preventing landlords from harassing tenants by eliminating services, withholding repairs, refusing to accept rent payments or taking other retaliatory actions. The ordinance passed on a 13-0 vote, with two members absent. It will next go to Mayor Eric Garcetti for approval. “I am pleased that the city council passed the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance. This means that for the first time in Los Angeles, city law defines and codifies illegal harassment activities, providing an affirmative defense for tenants in eviction cases when landlords engage in actions constituting harassment while strengthening civil penalties,” Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who chairs the Housing Committee, said in a statement after the vote. “During these challenging times, tenants struggling to make ends meet have been most vulnerable to losing their homes. The ordinance initiated prior to the pandemic will make landlord bullying …