On August 13th, the Santa Rosa City Council will consider an ordinance prohibiting differential treatment of renters who use Housing Choice Vouchers, Rapid Rehousing and other forms of rental assistance. This effort is part of the City Council’s multi-faceted strategy to address the housing crisis in Santa Rosa. The proposed ordinance makes it unlawful to refuse to rent, to impose any restriction in the terms and conditions of a rental housing transaction, to refuse or restrict facilities or services or to make, publish, advertise or disseminate any statement which indicates preference, limitation or discrimination based wholly or in part on source of income. The proposed ordinance also makes it unlawful to use a financial or income standard for rental housing that fails to account for rental payments that will be made by other individuals or organizations under a rental assistance program or housing subsidy program including, but not limited to, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Housing providers may continue to screen tenants using acceptable criteria but may not enact blanket policies that exclude otherwise qualified renters based solely on the means by which they make their rental payments. Sixteen other California jurisdictions have already passed similar ordinances and legislation is also being considered at the state level.