The Los Angeles City Council has enacted an emergency order allowing small businesses to defer their rent payments for up to three months. If you need to do that, you should contact your landlord as soon as possible. Here is some language you can put in an email or letter (check the terms of your lease for how you are required to communicate with your landlord) to ask for that relief.

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Dear [landlord]:

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As a business that has been adversely impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent government-imposed operating restrictions, I am hereby invoking my rights under Chapter IV section 14.6 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (City Council ordinance No. 186585) requesting an abatement of my obligation to pay rent for [insert time period, not exceeding 3 months from date that disaster declaration was made].  I understand that I will have up to six months following the expiration of the local emergency period to repay any back due rent.

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I understand that this is not a request to forgive my rent, but simply a request to delay my obligation to pay at this time and to avoid any actions seeking my eviction or other legal action to obtain rental payment at this time.

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Sincerely,

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[name, name of business, signature and date]