S.F. Weighs Protecting Ex-Cons Seeking Homes, Jobs
Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross, San Francisco Chronicle, July 13, 2011
Ex-convicts may soon become a “protected class” in San Francisco–joining African Americans, Latinos, gays, transgender people, pregnant women and the disabled.
A proposal being circulated at City Hall would make it illegal for landlords and employers to discriminate against applicants solely because they were “previously incarcerated.”
Sex offenders and perpetrators of some violent crimes would not be covered.
It would also be illegal to ask anyone about their criminal past on an initial job or housing application.
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Ex-cons already are a protected class when it comes to applying for a city job or seeking to live in housing run by the San Francisco Housing Authority.
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