(Sacramento, CA) – Disability Rights California (DRC) is pleased Governor Newsom signed AB 1418 (McKinnor) yesterday, limiting local “crime-free” housing programs and nuisance ordinances, which typically include harmful provisions such as requiring landlords to evict tenants for alleged criminal activity. These housing ordinances are intentionally discriminatory against tenants with disabilities and tenants of color, and in some cases allow for evictions if a tenant or a tenant’s family has had an interaction with law enforcement.

“Crime-free housing policies and nuisance ordinances have been used by local governments to drive out people of color and people with disabilities from communities and leaving them with few options,” says Andrew Imparato, Executive Director of DRC. “Local governments have weaponized these ordinances to evict tenants who were never charged or sentenced of a crime, and allowed for evictions if a tenant’s family member was associated with a reported crime. We are thankful for Governor Newsom signing this important bill.”

The harmful impact of crime-free housing policies on Black, Latinx, disability communities and other protected classes runs afoul of existing state and federal laws, including civil rights laws. The federal Department of Justice recently announced a settlement with the City of Hesperia to end the city’s discriminatory crime-free rental housing program. These policies also tend to deny tenants the ability to directly challenge enforcement actions and commonly use overly broad or vague language that makes it hard for tenants to know what behavior may lead to their eviction, raising due process concerns.

“We are thankful for Assemblymember Tina McKinnor’s leadership in defense of Californians with disabilities and so many other vulnerable groups that AB 1418 protects. We are also grateful to our legislative cosponsors at the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, the National Housing Law Project, Root & Rebound, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty for their hard work,” states Eric Harris, DRC’s Director of Public Policy. “With the Governor’s signature, the future for disabled tenants is much more stable,” Harris added.

The new law takes effect on January 1, 2024.

Media Contacts:

Melody Pomraning
Communications Director
Disability Rights California
916-504-5938
Melody.Pomraning@disabilityrightsca.org

Disability Rights California (DRC) – Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of DRC is to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities.