Los Angeles officials hope a new law will cut off one of the city's pipelines to homelessness.
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."
FULL STORY: L.A. City Council votes to ban low-income Section 8 rental discrimination
Los Angeles May Bar Source-of-Income Housing Discrimination
Officials hope that improving access to housing for people who use voucher programs will help prevent homelessness in the city.
Denver Law Would End Source-of-Income Discrimination
The law would prohibit Denver landlords from refusing Section 8 vouchers as rental payment.
After Legal Setback, Pittsburgh to Appeal 'Source of Income' Decision
Pittsburgh will continue its pursuit of a "source of income" law to protect against housing discrimination.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
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US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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