Housing crisis: Solutions on the horizon?
California’s New Fair Housing Law: What Does it Mean for Marin?
New law requires every California city and county to identify and address disparities in housing and access to opportunities. How much will these new laws and rules affect local control? Will it change our local zoning? What happens if the law isn't followed?
On Sunday, June 2, 2:30 PM a panel of distinguished experts will present information on the implementation of this new law and discuss potential implications for every jurisdiction in California and most importantly Marin's towns and cities.
Speaking will be Megan Kirkeby, Assistant Deputy Director for Fair Housing of the State Department of Housing and Community Development, Jessica Trounstine, Associate Professor at the University of California, Merced, and Alicia Klein, Associate Director of Housing Development at Resources for Community Development (RCD). Cesar Lagleva, United Marin Rising, will moderate the discussion and there will be time for interaction with the audience.
Simultaneous translation into Spanish will be available.
The event will be at the San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street from 2:30 to 5:00 pm. There is no charge for admission but registration is requested in order to plan. Light refreshments will be available.
Fair housing requirementshave been enforced under the federal Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968). In 2015, the federal government issued updated and stronger regulations for jurisdictions accessing certain federal funds, requiringrecipients to affirmatively further fair housing including an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) every five years. Although the Trump administration withdrew the AFH regulations, the California legislature passed AB 686 the 2015 federal AFH regulations into AB 686.
Much of AB 686 became effective on January 1, 2019. The rest will become effective as the next round of Housing Elements are prepared by the cities and counties in California. Never before has each jurisdiction in California, including the Public Housing Authorities, been subject to state requirements for affirmatively furthering fair housing.
According to the new law,
“Affirmatively furthering fair housing” means taking meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics. Specifically, affirmatively furthering fair housing means taking meaningful actions that, taken together, address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity, replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws. The duty to affirmatively further fair housing extends to all of a public agency’s activities and programs relating to housing and community development."
Supported by the Marin Community Foundation, Community Action Marin, the Marin Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California, and Marin Housing Solutions, admission to this event is free.
Register at Eventbrite under Fair Housing in California AB 686 Impacts of Cities & Counties (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fair-housing-in-california-ab-686-impacts-on-cities-counties-tickets-60673771885)
For further details, please contact Chandra Alexandre, CEO, Community Action Marin - Phone: 415-526-7500
