“No Section 8.”
You’ll find those words on rental listings across the country. Landlords use them to deter people who rely on the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8, from applying for their units.
Starting in January, a new California law will make that discrimination illegal.
— Capitol Public Radio
A new law is slated to take effect in California on January 1, 2020 that will prevent landlords in the state from discriminating against federal housing voucher recipients.
The measure caps off a better-than-average year for tenants rights activists across the country—at the local level, at least—in America’s major cities that includes the passage of significant new rent control ordinances in New York State. In addition, at the national level, a slate of rent control and pro-public hosing initiatives have also shined a light on several facets of the ongoing struggles to reign in housing costs across the country.
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The city of Austin TX passed an identical law like this and the city was sued by a group of landlords. The case went all the way to the Texas Supreme Court where it was found unconstitutional on the basis that you CANNOT force a private citizen to particiate in a voluntary Federal Government program.
The Texas legislature then passed a state wide law banning any local government from passing these types of laws concerning Section 8. In PA, a similar outcome, a law passed in Philidelphia was also found to be unconstitional by their Supreme Court and it was thrown out.
I'm sure the law will be challaged in court and could very well end up in SCOTUS where (given the court's current makeup) it would be found unconstitional and it will have to be rescinded. Not ONE unit of affordable housing is created with these ill conceived laws. What is accomplished is lots of lawyers make millions of dolllars off the backs up taxpayers with the court cases.
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