It shall be unlawful for any person offering for rent or lease, renting, leasing, or listing any housing accommodation, or any authorized agent or employee of such person, to do or attempt to do any of the following:
(a) Refuse to rent or lease a housing accommodation, or access to or use of the common areas and facilities of the housing accommodation, serve a notice of termination of tenancy, commence an unlawful detainer action, or otherwise deny to or withhold from any person or persons, a housing accommodation on the basis of disability, age, source of income, housing status, parenthood, pregnancy, or the potential or actual occupancy of a minor child.
(b) Represent to any person, on the basis of disability, age, source of income, housing status, parenthood, pregnancy, or the potential or actual occupancy of the minor child that a housing accommodation is not available for inspection or rental when such housing accommodation is in fact available for inspection or rental.
(c) Make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, sign, advertisement, application, or contract with regard to a housing accommodation offered by that person that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination with respect to disability, age, source of income, housing status, parenthood, pregnancy, or the potential or actual occupancy of a minor child.
(d) Include in any rental agreement or lease for a housing accommodation a clause providing that as a condition of continued occupancy, the tenants shall remain childless or shall not bear children or otherwise not maintain a household with a person or persons of a certain age.
(e) Threaten to commence or commence eviction proceedings against any tenant on the grounds that he or she has breached a rental agreement if the alleged breach arises out of an increase in the number of occupants due to the marriage of the tenant, provided that the occupancy of the spouse and children of the spouse is otherwise lawful.
(f) Threaten to commence or commence eviction proceedings against any tenant head of household on the grounds that he or she has violated the provisions of a rental agreement where the violation consists of an increase in the number of occupants arising out of the birth, adoption, or change of legal custody of a minor child of whom the tenant head of household or his or her spouse is the parent or legal guardian, and provided that the occupancy of said minor child is otherwise lawful.
(g) Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy any dwelling.
(h) Refuse to allow a person to make reasonable modifications, alterations or additions to existing premises occupied or to be occupied by a person with a disability that are necessary to make the rental property accessible by persons with disabilities, under the following conditions:
(1) The landlord is not required to pay for the alterations, additions, or restoration unless otherwise required by State or Federal law;
(2) The landlord has the right to demand assurances that all modifications will be performed in a professional manner, and in accordance with applicable building codes, permitting requirements and other applicable laws;
(3) The landlord may, where it is reasonable to do so, condition permission for modification on the tenant's agreement to restore the interior of the premises to its preexisting condition, reasonable wear and tear excepted.
(i) Refuse to accept from a prospective or current tenant rent in the form of rental assistance from any Federal, State, local or non-profit-administered benefit or subsidy program, including, but not limited to, the Section 8 voucher program. Refusal to accept includes failure or an unreasonable delay in filling out and returning any necessary paperwork, and refusing to make repairs required by the Housing Authority after a Housing Quality Standards inspection unless the landlord demonstrates it would economically infeasible to do so.
(j) For purposes of this Section, "disability" includes, but is not limited to, any physical or mental disability as defined in California Government Code Section
12926.
(k) For purposes of this Section, "source of income" includes any lawful source of income or rental assistance from any Federal, State, local or non-profit-administered benefit or subsidy program, including, but not limited to, the Section 8 voucher programs, for an existing tenant or prospective tenant.
(l) For purposes of this Section, "housing status" means currently or formerly experiencing homelessness, currently or formerly living in transitional, temporary, or shelter housing, or lacking a residential rental housing history. For the purposes of this Section, if an applicant for housing accommodation lacks a rental history or landlord references, the landlord must offer the option, at the applicant's discretion, of providing lawful verifiable alternative evidence that the applicant will be a reliable tenant, including, but not limited to, personal references. If the applicant elects to provide such evidence, the landlord shall provide the applicant a reasonable period of time to do so and shall consider the evidence in determining whether to offer the housing accommodation to the applicant.
(Prior code § 4702; amended by Ord. No. 1343CCS, adopted 9/10/85; Ord. No. 1965CCS, adopted 3/8/00; Ord. No. 2473CCS § 1, adopted 10/28/14; Ord. No. 2485CCS § 1, adopted 5/12/15; Ord. No. 2716CCS § 2, adopted 9/13/22; Ord. No. 2776CCS, 2/13/24)