Talk about a “Sanctuary City”

Thinking of becoming a landlord within the city limits of Seattle? Know someone who is?

Thinking of opening a business within the city limits of Seattle? Know someone who is?

You’ll want to tell them to hold off for a bit

The Seattle Office of Civil Rights is proposing legislation which would make it illegal to discriminate in employment, contracting and housing based on a person’s criminal history. (Draft proposal is here.) Exceptions would be made for crimes where there is “direct connection” between the conviction and employment and occupancy, but “direction connection” is so vaguely defined that it effectively gives the city final say over decisions to rent or hire. Arrest record could not be used at all in these decisions; only convictions could be considered.

If the council accepts the OCR draft and adds the language to the municipal code, landlords would be required to rent to convicted drug users and sex offenders unless they could prove “occupancy would involve unreasonable risk of substantial harm to property or to the safety of individuals or the public.”

While the Seattle metro area isn’t feeling the unemployment pinch nearly as bad as other urban areas across the country, this could tip those statistics in the “bad” direction.