(a) Regarding applicants or potential applicants for Affordable Housing, and their household members, a Housing Provider shall not, at any time or by any means, inquire about, require disclosure of, or if such information is received base an Adverse Action in whole or in part on:
(1) An Arrest not leading to a Conviction, excepting under circumstances identified in this Section an Unresolved Arrest;
(2) Participation in or completion of a diversion or a deferral of judgment program;
(3) A Conviction that has been judicially dismissed, expunged, voided, invalidated, or otherwise rendered inoperative, by way of example but not limitation, under California Penal Code sections 1203.4, 1203.4a, or 1203.41;
(4) A Conviction or any other determination or adjudication in the juvenile justice system, or information regarding a matter considered in or processed through the juvenile justice system;
(5) A Conviction that is more than seven years old, the date of Conviction being the date of sentencing;
(6) Information pertaining to an offense other than a felony or misdemeanor, such as an infraction 1
(7) A Conviction that arises out of conduct that has been decriminalized since the date of the Conviction, the date of the Conviction being the date of sentencing. Examples of statutes that have decriminalized particular conduct include but are not limited to California Health and Safety Code Sections 11362.1 and 11362.2.
Accordingly, the matters identified in this subsection (a) may not be considered in any manner by the Housing Provider.
(b) The Housing Provider shall not require applicants for Affordable Housing to disclose on any housing application the fact or details of any Conviction History, any Unresolved Arrest, or any matter identified in subsections (a)(1)-(7). Nor shall the Housing Provider inquire on any housing application about the fact or details of any Conviction History, any Unresolved Arrest, or any matter identified in subsections (a)(1)-(7).
(c) The Housing Provider shall not require applicants for Affordable Housing to disclose, and shall not inquire into, Conviction History until the Housing Provider has first determined:
(1) that the applicant is legally eligible to rent the housing unit; and
(2) that the applicant is qualified to rent the housing unit under the Housing Provider's criteria for assessing rental history and credit history; provided, however, that this subsection (c)(2) shall apply only if the Housing Provider uses rental history and credit history information in determining qualifications of applicants for housing; and provided further, that this subsection (c)(2) shall not preclude a Housing Provider from obtaining a Background Check Report at the same time as the Housing Provider obtains the rental history report and credit history report for an applicant, so long as the Housing Provider reviews the Background Check Report only after determining based on rental history and credit history that the applicant is qualified to rent the housing unit.
(d) Prior to any Conviction History inquiry, the Housing Provider shall provide a copy of the notice described in Sections 4907(b) and (c) to the applicant.
(e) Prior to obtaining a copy of a Background Check Report, the Housing Provider shall comply with all state and federal requirements including but not limited to those in the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA). California Civil Code sections 1786 et seq., and the Federal Consumer Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 United States Code sections 1681 et seq., to provide notice to the applicant that such a report is being sought.
(f) In making a decision related to Affordable Housing based on Conviction History, a Housing Provider shall conduct an individualized assessment, considering only Directly-Related Convictions, the time that has elapsed since the Conviction or Unresolved Arrest, and any evidence of inaccuracy or Evidence of Rehabilitation or Other Mitigating Factors.
(g) If a Housing Provider intends to base an Adverse Action related to Affordable Housing on an item or items in the applicant's Conviction History, prior to taking any Adverse Action the Housing Provider shall provide the applicant with a copy of the Background Check Report, and shall notify the applicant of the prospective Adverse Action and the items forming the basis for the prospective Adverse Action.
(h) If, within 14 days of the date that the notice described in subsection (g) is provided by the Housing Provider to the applicant, the applicant gives the Housing Provider notice, orally or in writing, of evidence of the inaccuracy of the item or items of Conviction History and/or Evidence of Rehabilitation or Other Mitigating Factors, the Housing Provider shall delay any Adverse Action for a reasonable period after receipt of the information and during that time shall reconsider the prospective Adverse Action in light of the information.
(i) Upon taking any final Adverse Action based upon the Conviction History of an applicant, the Housing Provider shall notify the applicant of the final Adverse Action.
(j) It shall be unlawful for any Housing Provider to engage in any communication related to Affordable Housing that expresses, directly or indirectly, that any person with an arrest or conviction record will not be considered for the rental or lease of real property or may not apply for the rental or lease of real property, except as required by local, state, or federal law. For purposes of this subsection (j), engaging in a communication includes but is not limited to making a verbal statement or producing or disseminating any solicitation, advertisement, or signage.
(Former Sec. 4906 added by Ord. 61-01, File No. 002197, App. 4/20/2001; repealed by Ord. 234-06, File No. 060892, App. 9/14/2006)
CODIFICATION NOTE