A four-month investigation in three North Bay counties found that housing discrimination based on national origin was more common in Sonoma County than Marin or Solano counties, but that Marin had the highest rate of discrimination overall.

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, or FHANC, examined rental practices at 20 properties in each county, using testers who posed by phone or email as either Latina or white potential renters with children.

The investigation tested for discrimination at the pre-application stage based on familial status (the presence of children) or national origin or a combination of both. It did not name specific properties, landlords or property management companies.

A small number of tests in Marin and Solano counties were discarded because of inconclusive results.

At four properties tested in Sonoma County, or 20%, managers, agents or landlords showed clear evidence of discrimination against the Latina tester based on her origin, according to the investigation; three other properties, or 15% of those tested, showed “some or potential evidence” of discrimination on the basis of national origin.

In Marin, 5% of properties tested showed clear evidence of national origin discrimination, while 26%showed some or potential evidence.

One of the Sonoma County examples of discrimination took place in Penngrove, said Caroline Peattie, executive director of San Rafael-based FHANC, a housing rights and advocacy group.

There, a Latina tester who called to inquire about an apartment was invited to view it, but after she mentioned she had two children, she was told it was too small and “it wouldn’t work.”

However, when a white tester later called and expressed interest in the unit for herself and two children, the owner said nothing about family size and offered to show her the apartment that night.

In an example from the city of Sonoma, a tester posing as a Latina with two kids responded to a listing and, Peattie said, was told by the landlord that he was prioritizing applicants with one or two occupants.

He said he would show her the unit but already had many interested applicants, many of them single occupants. When a tester posing as a white woman with two kids inquired about the same property the next day, the same person offered to show her the unit the next day. The landlord did not mention wanting to prioritize smaller households.

The investigation was conducted January through April 2023 and made public last month. FHANC serves only Marin, Sonoma and Solano counties.

‘Additional barriers’
“Particularly for single Latinx mothers, both familial status and national origin discrimination end up posing additional barriers to housing at a time when the Bay Area housing market is already extraordinarily tight,” said Peattie.

The most overall housing discrimination occurred in Marin County — where 67% of the tests revealed at least some evidence of discrimination — the FHANC investigation concluded. Marin also had the most discrimination based on familial status, 53% of the properties tested, the investigation found.

“What this tells me is that in both (Marin and Sonoma) counties there's a lot more work that needs to be done around educating housing providers about fair housing laws,” Peattie said.

Jennie Rihl, president of the 66-member Marin/Sonoma chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers, or NARPM, said the findings were not surprising — with a caveat.

Click here to keep reading.

Colleen Arnold, as she was being honored for her volunteer work at the annual Heart of Marin luncheon last week, commented on the event’s annual youth awards, saying they make her feel like “I’m not doing enough.” Many in the audience at the San Rafael event shared her summation.

Soon after, a number of local teens were honored for their seemingly tireless commitment to needs, large and small. Many worked on multiple causes, locally and nationally, while also getting top grades in school. They were among those honored at the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership’s 31st awards ceremony where they turned the spotlight on Marin’s nonprofits and their generous volunteers.

It is a heartwarming, hope-inspiring and, at times, humbling event, held this year at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall. It is an annual tribute to the thousands of community volunteers and local nonprofit leaders and supporters who strive to make a difference – big and small, but both just as important – in our county.

Arnold was honored for her leadership with the Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center, a longstanding nonprofit that provides support for families with children with special needs. She was among the 124 nominees across eight categories, from youth volunteers and lifetime achievement to corporate community service and “Volunteer of the Year.”

The nominations are made by local nonprofits, screened by teams of community leaders who select the awardees.

For example, Ghilotti Bros. Inc, an historic business leader in our county, was honored for its years of donating money, time and equipment for local community educational and sports projects, from a school butterfly garden to a sports court at San Quentin State Prison, as well as its ongoing support for local construction training programs.

Mike Wing, a volunteer with Call of the Sea, was named 2023 Volunteer of the Year, honored for his work with the nonprofit sailing program and its water-based education programs as well as his impressive anti-pollution work and efforts to grow awareness about microplastic pollutants.

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California won the award for Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence; NAMI Marin Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Team for Excellence in Innovation; Chandra Alexandre, chief executive officer of Community Action Marin, for the Excellence in Leadership; and Berta Campos-Anicetti was awarded the Lifetime Achievement for her 34 years of work in community health education programs for Latino families. CNVL’s awards committee cited for her work to remove barriers and build trust, most recently shown in her effective outreach work to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Similar to Arnold, she spoke of how she has found inspiration in the Heart of Marin awards ceremonies she has attended in the past.

The youths honored this year included Surabhi Chinta, for her work with The Marine Mammal Center; Ryder Lariviere for his work and leadership with the Boy Scouts, locally and nationally; Kate Van Hooser, a volunteer nominated by Marin’s Extra Food nonprofit; Marcos Vega of Youth Transforming Justice and his work with the Marin Youth Court restorative justice program; and Olivia Villanova, a nominee for her work with Becca’s Closet Redwood High School chapter, where she has helped collect and provide around 400 free prom dresses for local high school students.

Many of these teens were multi-tasking volunteers, donating their time and talent to more than one nonprofit or cause.

As CVNL’s CEO Linda Jacobs, who emceed the luncheon, put it, the work of Marin’s nonprofits, their volunteers and supporters is “absolutely amazing, inspiring and hopeful.”

The Heart of Marin event was a fitting showcase and tribute for the important work and heartfelt service that goes on, most often quietly, around our county.

Click here to read the entire article.

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- In the North Bay, a new fair housing report finds that landlords in Marin and two other counties are discriminating against Latino renters and families with children. Those findings have been uncovered by Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California.

The nonprofit says rental housing discrimination is a real thing in the North Bay.
"We wanted to see how Latinx parents were being treated at the pre-application rental inquiry stage," said Fair Housing Advocates Attorney Julia Howard-Gibbon.

Howard-Gibbon says between January and April of 2023, they investigated landlords at random, operating 60 rental properties in Marin, Solano and Sonoma Counties and found some level of discrimination at 58% of the properties.

Advocates say Marin County had the highest incidence of discrimination at about 66%. In its investigation, the organization says 52% of test calls to landlords made by trained testers reveled evidence of discrimination against renters with children, and 31% showed evidence of discrimination against Latino renters.

"The Latina called up and said she had two children. Landlord said, sorry that's too small for a family of three. The white tester called and (they) said, 'Sure, that should be no problem. We can make it work,'" said Howard-Gibbon.
The report says Sonoma County saw a 35% discrimination level against Latinos. Solano County showed the least overall bias, at 25% against renters with children.

"We want landlords to understand what the law is. Maybe they are unaware that people in their office are saying these thing," Howard-Gibbon added.

Canal Alliance reacted to the report saying in a statement:
"This issue has impacted our community for far too long, denying Latinos and families with children their right to equal housing. Marin deserves better, and it's time to dismantle these discriminatory barriers and build a truly inclusive community where everyone can thrive," said CEO Omar Cabrera.
​
"I don't know what their bias was," said Joby Tapia, president of Marin Rental Property Owners Association.
Advocates for rental property owners question how the report was conducted.

"Most owners we talked to are well aware of fair housing laws. And regulations, racism is not the case," Tapia said.

"Finding one is significant. The fair housing act was passed in 1968. We still don't want to believe people are discriminating," Howard-Gibbon said.

Fair housing advocates say they will send letters to landlords who they believe discriminated against potential renters and could pursue legal action in the future.

Click here to read the entire article.
Click here to watch the ABC7 report on YouTube.