Is a Landlord or Employer Using Your Felony Conviction Against You? Here’s What You Can Do
By Edward Henderson The California state government has been reminding businesses and landlords across the state that it is illegal to discriminate against job and rental applicants because they have committed felonies or misdemeanors in the past. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is also encouraging the public to report housing ads that use discriminatory language to exclude certain racial groups, immigrants, people with felonies, and applicants with Section 8 or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) vouchers; etc.
pioneering state law that seeks to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with criminal histories,” a DFEH statement read. The Fair Chance act, which took effect on January 1, 2018, was written to increase access to employment and housing for Californians with criminal histories -- a way to reduce recidivism, among other goals. Employers with five or more employees are prohibited from asking a job candidate about conviction history during the hiring process or when advertising a vacancy.
Since the law passed, the state has sent more than 500 notices to businesses informing them that they have violated protections put in place to “The California Department of Fair Employment protect people seeking work. and Housing announced a new effort to identify The DFEH says it is implementing new and correct violations of the Fair Chance Act, a
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