The Brief

California law makes it illegal for landlords to refuse to rent to people who participate in rental assistance programs like Section 8, but tenant advocates say the practice remains widespread in Los Angeles County.

A recent investigation by the Housing Rights Initiative found that up to 70% of L.A.-area landlords turn away tenants who receive federal housing subsidies. And there’s been a flurry of recent lawsuits, including a sweeping case filed last fall by the Housing Rights Initiative. The suit names more than 200 landlords, including several major real estate companies.

"Finding housing discrimination in Los Angeles is like finding rain in a rainstorm," said Aaron Carr, executive director of the Housing Rights Initiative, which investigated landlords across the city.

More than 90,000 L.A. County households rely on the Housing Choice Voucher program — broadly known as Section 8 — the largest rental assistance program for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities to afford housing in the private market.

Experts say it’s crucial for tenants and landlords to understand their rights and responsibilities.

Here are their tips:

1. Know the law

Since January 2020, California law prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants based on their source of income, including Section 8 vouchers or other housing subsidies.

"The law regarding source of income protections has changed," said Michelle Uzeta, deputy director at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. "Landlords cannot refuse to rent to someone, charge higher deposits, or treat them differently simply because they use a Section 8 voucher."

This applies to private landlords, property management companies, and corporations that rent residential property in California. The only exception is homeowners who live in their unit and rent out a single room, according to the California Civil Rights Department.

Local landlord groups claim the changes in law have not been communicated clearly, and some housing providers are unaware of their responsibilities to prospective Section 8 tenants.

“Ignorance is not an excuse for breaking the law,” said Carr. “It’s a landlord’s job to learn their legal responsibilities and conduct business accordingly.”

Advocates encourage prospective tenants who encounter potential discrimination to send information about the law to landlords — including this FAQ — to remove any confusion about legal responsibilities.

"Advocate directly for yourself,” said Rodney Leggett, attorney with Housing Rights Center. “Tell them directly Section 8 discrimination is illegal. Ask them directly to accept your voucher. If they blow you off, or just ignore you, that might be a denial of your voucher in and of itself."

2. Document everything

Experts recommend that voucher holders document all interactions with potential landlords. If speaking by phone, take notes on who you spoke with, what exactly they said, how you found the listing and more. When possible, get things in writing. Save any listings, email conversations and text conversations. Applicants should ask landlords directly if they’ll accept Section 8, but only after confirming the housing is otherwise available, advocates said.

"Voucher holders should be sure to get confirmation that a listing is still available before they mention they are a voucher holder," advises Jacqueline Burbank of Inner-City Law Center. "Having these conversations over text also gives you a record of what was said. It is hard to prove details of phone conversations."

If a landlord responds with "no Section 8" in writing, they've provided clear evidence of illegal discrimination.

3. Understand financial requirements

Landlords are allowed to screen potential tenants for income eligibility, but they have to calculate it differently for voucher holders.

Section 8 participants cover a portion of their rent equivalent to 30% of their income, and the federal government covers the rest. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

So if a landlord requires tenants to earn three times the monthly rent, a 2024 California law says they can only apply that requirement to the part the tenant actually pays, not the entire amount.

That means that if the rent is $2,000 and the tenant’s portion is $500, the landlord can only require the tenant to show a monthly income of $1,500.

4. Know your alternative screening options

Credit history should not be a barrier for voucher holders.

If landlords plan to check credit, they must give applicants with housing subsidies the opportunity to present alternative proof of their ability to pay rent. This could include documentation of the receipt of public benefits, bank statements or pay stubs.

Landlords must consider these alternatives instead of relying solely on credit reports, according to the California Civil Rights Department.

5. Seek out housing providers who welcome Section 8

Not all landlords resist Section 8.

"There are some housing providers who actively market to people who utilize Section 8," Uzeta said. "Look for places that want you."

Renters can find those landlords on websites like affordablehousing.com, or check listings on other rental databases for language like “Section 8 accepted.”

Still, many landlords are wary of working with Section 8 or other government subsidy programs, because they believe there’s too much red tape. To accept Section 8 vouchers, private landlords have to have their properties inspected and approved by HUD.

“Working with these housing authorities is like being forced to eat at a restaurant that has poor service and a C-rating,” Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said. “This makes housing providers, particularly the majority who are independent owners and lack resources to handle the complexities of a poorly run government bureaucracy, reluctant to deal with these government agencies.”

Landlords who are interested in participating in Section 8 can contact their local housing authority for information about the program's benefits and requirements.

6. Recognize the advantages for landlords

Landlords who accept Section 8 receive guaranteed payments directly from the housing authority.

"It's really shocking to me that more landlords do not realize that this is guaranteed rent money," Uzeta said. "The government is not going to be late on your rent payment."

Tenants with Section 8 vouchers also undergo background checks by housing authorities and have a strong incentive to comply with lease terms to maintain their assistance.

Yukelson said many landlords jump at opportunities to house voucher holders.

“Most housing providers would welcome government-backed rent and the chance to assist a family or veteran who is in need of housing,” he said.

7. Report discrimination when it happens

Report Section 8 discrimination right away to the California Civil Rights Department.

Voucher holders should notify their advisor at the housing authority or other agency overseeing their voucher program. Advisors may contact landlords directly to advocate for their clients, Leggett said. Prospective renters are also encouraged to call pro-bono legal support organizations like the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Inner City Law Center, Housing Rights Initiative and Housing Rights Center.

Landlords found in violation could face significant penalties, including monetary damages.

8. Connect with advocacy groups for support and training

Several organizations across Los Angeles provide resources for tenants and landlords navigating Section 8.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Inner-City Law Center, Housing Rights Initiative, Housing Rights Center and the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund all provide resources for voucher holders facing discrimination. They offer free legal advice, representation and self-advocacy workshops.

The California Civil Rights Department also offers online training on source of income discrimination for landlords and renters. For landlords, regular fair-housing training can prevent costly legal issues.

“We encourage rental housing providers to take a Fair Housing class annually or at least every two years to keep up with the changing regulatory landscape,” Yukelson said. “This is not a 'follow your gut instinct business,' but a 'know the law' kind of business.”

By the end of January, students will have returned to two of the three public school campuses burned in the Palisades Fire one year prior, though their classrooms are temporary.

Palisades Charter High School students are scheduled to return to their campus Jan. 27. They’ve been in a refurbished Santa Monica department store since April.

“ I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for the constant support that has been shown for our school and for our families, our teachers, all of our administrators and staff,” said Principal Pamela Magee at a press conference Tuesday with Los Angeles Unified leaders. Pali High is an independent charter high school located on district property.

In June, the LAUSD Board approved a $604 million plan to rebuild the high school, as well as two burned district elementary schools— Marquez and Palisades.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the three campuses’ new buildings will open in 2028— shaving two years off of the original 5-year timeline.

“ These projects will come in on time or ahead of schedule,” Carvalho said. “These projects will come in at or below budget, and these projects will honor the resilience, the determination, the courage and yes, the suffering and the sacrifice of the community of the Palisades.”

About the costs and the design

The district plans to use money from the $9 billion bond voters approved in 2024 to help pay for the rebuild, but also anticipates some reimbursement from its insurer and FEMA.

District-contracted architects are finalizing their designs and plan to submit to the state for approval in the spring, said Chief Facilities Executive Krisztina Tokes. She said the plan is to rebuild with future environmental risks in mind.

“ From the earliest design stages, wildfire resiliency has been treated as a core requirement and not an add-on,” Tokes said. For example, using fire-resistant concrete blocks, installing enhanced air filtration systems and planting shade trees where they won’t hang over buildings.

Environmental testing preceded students’ return to the fire-impacted campuses. Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety Carlos Torres said the district continues to monitor air quality through its network of sensors and is developing a plan for periodic testing.

“We just can't just walk away,” Torres said.

Enrollment is down at all three schools compared to before the fires, but district leaders say they are confident families will return to the rebuilt campuses.

“I find it hard to believe that this community won't come back to its former glory,” said Board Member Nick Melvoin, who represents the Palisades. “We gave a lot of thought in an accelerated timeline to rebuilding for the next century.”

Marquez Charter Elementary

What’s the damage? The campus is a “total loss.” More than three dozen classrooms, administration buildings, the school’s auditorium and playground burned down.

How much has LAUSD budgeted to rebuild? $202.6 million

Where are the students? Students returned in September to portables covering about one-third of the campus. There’s also two playgrounds, a garden, library and shaded lunch area. Enrollment has dropped 60% compared to before the fire from 310 to 127 students.

What’s next? District-contracted architects are finalizing their designs and plan to submit to the state for approval in the spring.

Palisades Charter Elementary School teacher Ms. Davison talks with her students in their new classroom on the campus of Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet last year.

(

Brian van der Brug

/

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

)

Palisades Charter Elementary

What’s the damage? About 70% of the campus was destroyed including 17 classrooms, the multipurpose room and play equipment.

How much has LAUSD budgeted to rebuild? $135 million

Where are the students? Students continue to share a campus with Brentwood Science Magnet. Enrollment has dropped 25% compared to before the fire from 410 to 307 students.

What’s next? District-contracted architects are finalizing their designs and plan to submit to the state for approval in the spring.

Palisades Charter High School, pictured in December 2025, is scheduled to reopen to students Jan. 27, 2026.

(

Kayla Bartkowski

/

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

)

Palisades Charter High School

What’s the damage? About 30% of the campus was destroyed including 21 classrooms, storage facilities and the track and field.

How much has LAUSD budgeted to rebuild? $266 million

Where are the students? Students started the school year in a renovated Sears building in downtown Santa Monica. Enrollment has dropped 14% compared to before the fire, from 2,900 to 2,500 students.

What’s next? Classes will resume at the main campus Tues. Jan. 27 in a combination of surviving buildings and 30 new portable classrooms.

The Trump administration says it’s planning to freeze about $10 billion in federal support for needy families in California and four other Democrat-run states, as the president announced an investigation into unspecified fraud in California.

The plans come on the heels of the Trump administration announcing a freeze on all federal payments for child care in Minnesota, citing fraud allegations against daycare centers in the state.

The state’s Democrat governor, Tim Walz — who ran for vice president against Donald Trump’s ticket in 2024 — announced Monday he was dropping out of running for reelection. He pointed to fraud against the state, saying it’s a real issue while alleging Trump and his allies were “seeking to take advantage of the crisis.”

On Monday, the New York Post reported that the administration was expanding the funding freeze to include California and three other Democrat-led states, in addition to Minnesota. Unnamed federal officials cited “concerns that the benefits were fraudulently funneled to non-citizens,” The Post reported.

Early Tuesday, President Trump alleged that corruption in California is worse than Minnesota and announced an investigation.

“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” the president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

He did not specify what alleged fraud was being examined in the Golden State.

LAist has reached out to the White House to ask what the president’s fraud concerns are in California and to request an interview with the president.

“For too long, Democrat-led states and governors have been complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud to occur under their watch,” said an emailed statement from Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the federal childcare funds.

“Under the Trump administration, we are ensuring that federal taxpayer dollars are being used for legitimate purposes. We will ensure these states are following the law and protecting hard-earned taxpayer money.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office disputed Trump’s claim on social media, arguing that since taking office, the governor has blocked $125 billion in fraud and arrested “criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers.”

Criminal fraud cases in CA appear to be rare for this program

Defrauding federally funded programs is a crime — and one LAist has investigated, leading to one of the largest such criminal cases in recent years against a California elected official, which surrounded meal funds.

When it comes to the federal childcare funds that are being frozen, the dollar amount of fraud alleged in criminal cases appears to be a tiny fraction of the overall program’s spending in California.

A search of thousands of news releases by all four federal prosecutor offices in California, going back more than a decade, found a total of one criminal case where the press releases referenced childcare benefits.

That case, brought in 2023, alleged four men stole $3.7 million in federal childcare benefits through fraudulent requests to a San Diego organization that distributed the funds. All four pleaded guilty, with one defendant sentenced to 27 months in prison and others sentenced to other terms, according to authorities.

It appears to be equivalent to one one-hundredth of 1% of all the childcare funding California has received over the past decade-plus covered by the prosecution press release search.

Potential impact on California families

The plans call for California, Minnesota, New York, Illinois and Colorado to lose about $7 billion in cash assistance for households with children, almost $2.4 billion to care for children of working parents, and about $870 million for social services grants that mostly benefit children at risk, according to unnamed federal officials speaking to the New York Times and New York Post.

In the largest category of funding, California receives $3.7 billion per year. The program is known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.

 ”It's very clear that a freeze of those funds would be very damaging to the children, families, and providers of California,” said Stacy Lee, who oversees early childhood initiatives "at Children Now, an advocacy group for children in California.

 ”It is a significant portion of our funds and will impact families and children and providers across the whole state,” she added. “It would be devastating, in no uncertain terms.”

About 270,000 people are served by the TANF program in L.A. County — about 200,000 of whom are children, according to the county Department of Public Social Services.

“Any pause in funding for their cash benefits – which average $1000/month - would be devastating to these families,” said DPSS chief of staff Nick Ippolito.

Ippolito said the department has a robust fraud prevention and 170-person investigations team, and takes allegations “very seriously.”

It remains to be seen whether the funding freeze will end up in court. The state, as well as major cities and counties in California, has sued to ask judges to halt funding freezes or new requirements placed by the Trump administration. L.A. city officials say they’ve had success with that, including shielding more than $600 million in federal grant funding to the city last year.

A union representing California childcare workers said the funding freeze would harm low-income families.

“These threats need to be called out for what they are: direct threats on working families of all backgrounds who rely on access to quality, affordable child care in their communities to go to work every day supporting, and growing our economy,” said Max Arias, chairperson for the Child Care Providers United, which says it represents more than 70,000 child care workers across the state who care for kids in their homes.

“Funding freezes, even when intended to be temporary, will be devastating — resulting in families losing access to care and working parents facing the devastating choice of keeping their children safe or paying their bills.”

Federal officials planned to send letters to the affected states Monday about the planned funding pauses, the New York Post reported. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, state officials said they haven’t gotten any official notification of the funding freeze plans.

“The California Department of Social Services administers child care programs that help working families afford safe, reliable care for their children — so parents can go to work, support their families, and contribute to their communities,” said a statement from California Department of Social Services spokesperson Jason Montiel.

“These funds are critical for working families across California. We take fraud seriously, and CDSS has received no information from the federal government indicating any freeze, pause, or suspension of federal child care funding.”