Group Housing

This paper from the law firm of Richards Watson Gershon, presented at a League of California Cities conference, focuses on the limits imposed by federal and California law upon the authority of local governments to regulate housing for disabled persons and other protected groups. It examines three primary FHA discrimination claims that local governments might face: discriminatory treatment, disparate impact, and failure to make a reasonable accommodation. For each claim category, the paper explains key federal and California state case law and offers "practical advice" for local officials drawn from those findings.