Fair employment and housing protections: credit reports.

Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) , protects the right to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination because of specified characteristics and prescribes various employment, labor, and apprenticeship practices, among other things, in this regard. Among the protected characteristics are race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, and military or veteran status. Existing law prohibits various practices connected to obtaining and financing housing accommodations, if those practices discriminate based on specified characteristics, including source of income, as defined. Existing law prohibits, in instances where there is a government rent subsidy, the use of a financial or income standard in assessing eligibility for the rental of housing that is not based on the portion of the rent to be paid by the tenant. Existing law establishes the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to administer and enforce these provisions. This bill would prohibit requiring a consumer credit report, as defined, as part of the application process for a rental housing accommodation in instances where there is a government rent subsidy.