Item 30 - Uncodified Ordinance Amending the List of Parcels

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1.4 Assessment of Fair Housing Issues Federal fair housing laws prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex/gender, handicap/disability, and familial status. Specific federal legislation and court rulings include: • The Civil Rights Act of 1866 covers only race and was the first legislation of its kind. • The Federal Fair Housing Act 1968 covers refusal to rent, sell, or finance. • The Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988 added the protected classes of handicap and familial status. • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers public accommodations in both businesses and in multifamily housing developments. • Shelly v. Kramer 1948 made it unconstitutional to use deed restrictions to exclude individuals from housing. • Jones v. Mayer 1968 made restrictive covenants illegal and unenforceable. California state fair housing laws protect the same classes as the federal laws, with the addition of marital status, ancestry, source of income, sexual orientation, and arbitrary discrimination. Specific State legislation and regulations include: • Unruh Civil Rights Act extends to businesses and covers age and arbitrary discrimination. • California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Rumford Act) covers the area of employment and housing, with the exception of single-family houses with no more than one roomer/boarder. • California Civil Code Section 53 takes measures against restrictive covenants. • Department of Real Estate Commissioner's Regulations 2780 to 2782 define disciplinary actions for discrimination, prohibit panic selling, and affirm the broker's duty to supervise. • Business and Professions Code covers people who hold licenses, including real estate agents, brokers, and loan officers. Santa Ana residents have access to information about fair housing enforcement, outreach capacity, and resources available to them. First, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) accepts, investigates, conciliates, mediates, and prosecutes complaints under state and federal law. DFEH investigates complaints of employment and housing discrimination based on protected class. The program provides California's tenants, landlords, and property owners and managers with a means of resolving housing discrimination cases in a fair, confidential, and cost-effective manner. Community Legal Aid SoCal serves low-income people in Orange County with direct representation and engages in policy advocacy and impact litigation. Legal Aid provides legal assistance across a broad range of fair housing issues, including eviction, federally or otherwise publicly subsidized housing, substandard housing, landlord/tenant issues, homeownership issues, homeowners association issues, housing discrimination, and predatory lending practices. The main office is in Santa Ana, with additional offices in Southern California. Community Legal Aid SoCal is funded by the Legal Services Corporation, which carries restrictions against representing undocumented clients. Locally, the Fair Housing Council of Orange County provides a variety of services, including community outreach and education, homebuyer education, mortgage default counseling,