Los Angeles Clarifies and Strengthens Protections Against Source of Income Discrimination

The Los Angeles City Council voted in June to prohibit landlords "from refusing to consider tenants who pay rent through Section 8, the federal subsidy program for low-income households," reports Andrew Khouri.

"In California, it’s already illegal to deny housing based on someone’s source of income, though the definition of income doesn’t include the federal housing voucher program. In a 15-0 vote, the City Council changed that definition and extended protections against source-of-income discrimination to people who pay rent through Section 8 vouchers and other subsidies," according to Khouri.

The law is designed to help people receiving housing assistance find housing faster. "Nearly half the people who received a voucher in Los Angeles had it expire in 2017 before they found a rental, up from 18% in 2011, according to the latest available data."