Tenants rights groups and some lawmakers are blasting a new executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom that purports to suspend evictions statewide, calling it useless and misleading.

Newsom announced the moratorium on Friday, saying it would provide relief to tenants who have been laid off, furloughed or seen their hours slashed while the state grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Today we just established a new overlay for the state of California that denies the capacity for enforcement and court proceedings for any eviction through May 31,” Newsom said Friday. “So for tenants, through May 31, there will be no eviction proceedings, there will be no enforcement as it relates to inability to pay for COVID-19.”

But eviction defense attorneys say it doesn’t do any of those things. Brian Augusta, an attorney with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, says it instead creates chaos in the courts and causes unnecessary confusion for workers who've been asked to stay at home.