Down on Housing Discrimination

being discriminatory.

On April 21, California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta announced new guidance for crime-free housing policies statewide, pointing out that the former rules disproportionately impacted “people of color, survivors of domestic violence, people with disabilities, and justice-involved individuals,” according to the press release from the Attorney General's office.

legal standards and procedures to proactively prevent discriminatory housing practices within localities,” Bonta continued. “Tenants have rights under the Fair Employment and Housing Act and other California laws that protect against many forms of housing discrimination, and this guide aims to ensure we are eliminating barriers to housing and promoting equal opportunities.”

Highlighted by the media throughout each year are reports of courtroom judgements or settlements reached by county officials resulting from inappropriate actions by deputies or police, many resulting from the inappropriate use of force. Credit: Shutterstock. com use of force scenarios.

Since the early 1990s, landlords and managers nationwide have partnered with law enforcement to implement “crime-free housing” policies. These policies aim to reduce criminal activities such as drug use and gang activity. In California, crime-free housing has become increasingly controversial. Advocates and some state officials have been railing against these policies for

“In California, we’re taking action to end housing discrimination and foster diverse communities,” stated Bonta.

“The statewide guidance issued today presents clear

Across California, 147 cities and counties have adopted revised policies aimed at eliminating discrimination, including some of the state's

Last week we learned that Riverside County agreed to a $400,000 settlement in response to a claim filed by parent Daniel Silva resulting from a use of force incident against his son in September 2018 who was a high school freshman when the incident occurred.

Sprinkled in the news throughout each year are reports of settlements made by county officials resulting from inappropriate actions by deputies or police, many resulting from

In 2022, the Washington Post published an investigative report looking at the hidden billiondollar cost of repeated police misconduct.

The report examined data for nearly 40,000 payments at 25 of the country’s largest police and sheriff’s departments–Riverside was among them–and found that in the course of the recent decade, more than $3.2 billion was spent