The City Council finds and declares:
Housing is a fundamental necessity of life. Housing plays a major role in defining quality of life, security, connection to community, and access to opportunity. In recognition of this, Objective 3.1 of the City’s Housing Element of its General Plan requires the City to ensure that housing opportunities are accessible to all residents without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, sex, national origin, color, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, age, disability (including HIV/AIDS), and student status.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles reports a shortage of landlords participating in its Section 8 rental subsidy program. At present, only 53% of Section 8 voucher holders are successful in finding a unit due to what is believed to be a combination of factors including discrimination against Section 8 voucher holders, low vacancy rates, and the high cost of housing. These findings are consistent with a study conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which found that 76.4% of landlords in the City contacted by phone in response to advertisements for rental units responded that they did not accept Section 8 vouchers. The average denial rate was 81.5% in low poverty areas, 80.7% in medium poverty areas, and 66% in high poverty areas. Such rates were lower in jurisdictions with local laws against voucher discrimination as compared to those without such protections. These findings suggest that local laws that prohibit discrimination based upon source of income increase landlords’ participation in Section 8 rental subsidy programs.
To further Objective 3.1 of the City’s General Plan and to address the local housing crisis created by some landlords’ lack of participation in the Section 8 rental subsidy program, this article prohibits discrimination based upon a person’s use of rental assistance or other sources of income as payment for rent.