California Government Code Section 12955 prohibits housing discrimination based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, since 2020 amendments by SB 329, and Oakland Fair Housing rules add local enforcement.
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, codified at Government Code Section 12955, was amended by SB 329 effective January 2020 to make refusal of Section 8 vouchers unlawful source-of-income discrimination. Oakland enforces this under both state and local fair housing rules. Landlords may not advertise No Section 8, refuse to consider voucher tenants, or apply different income screening to voucher applicants. The Civil Rights Department investigates complaints, and prevailing tenants may recover damages, civil penalties, and attorney fees in superior court.
Refusing voucher tenants, posting discriminatory ads, or applying different standards to voucher holders may produce CRD complaints, damages, civil penalties, and federal HUD enforcement.
See how other cities in Alameda County handle source-of-income discrimination.
See how Oakland's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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