California First State to Ban ‘Anti-Immigrant’ Rental Laws

With this new law, renters in California will no longer be threatened with eviction based on their immigration status. The measure was proposed by the Apartment Association, California Southern Cities, an organization representing more that 800,000 owners of rental properties in California. The measure was drafted after the city of Escondido approved an ordinance on Oct. 18, 2006 that required landlords to ask their renters for proof of legal residency. The order was later blocked by a federal judge who determined that it was unconstitutional. Similar ordinances in other U.S. cities such as Hazleton, Penn. and Farmers Branch, Tex. have also been declared unconstitutional. The city of Cherokee, Ga., north of Atlanta, passed a law last year to ban renting homes to undocumented immigrants. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2008.

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