Santa Monica

The City Council gave final approval to an ordinance strengthening the city’s laws prohibiting discrimination in the rental market against families with children.

Under the ordinance, a landlord cannot evict a tenant because the tenant gives birth to or adopts a child, nor can a landlord evict a newly married renter whose spouse moves into the unit. Landlords cannot tell a family with children that a vacant unit is not available or advertise that a unit is not available to families with children.

But a landlord is allowed to question a prospective renter about the size of his or her family.

A provision in the old law that allowed a landlord not to rent to families with children when 40% of the building was occupied by such families was deleted.