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city Council Meeting 7-25-95
JUL 2 5 1995
Santa Monica, California
STAFF REPORT
TO:
Mayor and city council
FROM:
city Attorney
SUBJECT: An Ordinance Of The City Council Of The City
Of Santa Monica To Amend Chapter 4.40 Of The Santa
Monica Municipal Code To Provide Eviction
Protection To Tenants with Domestic Partners
On April 25, 1995, the City council directed this office to prepare
an ordinance which would prohibit a landlord from terminating a
tenancy because a tenant has established a domestic partnership.
The Council sought this legislation after it received complaints
from tenants in the community who have had their tenancies impacted
due to their having domestic partners.l
This ordinance establishes a definition of domestic partner and
domestic partnership.
It also prohibits a landlord from
threatening to commence or commencing eviction proceedings against
any tenant on the grounds tha t the tenant now has a domestic
partnershlp.
The city Council also directed this office to examine the
rights and protections extended to domestic partners by other
California cities generally and to return with recommendations
regarding additional rights and protections that could be
provided to domestic partners in the City. This office intends
to return separately with these recommendations in September.
1
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JUL 2 5 1995 ;>
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In arriving at a def~nltlon of domestic partnership and domestic
partner, the city Attorney's Office examined the domestic
partnership statutes adopted by the cities of San Francisco,
Berkeley, and West Hollywood and the model domestic partnership
statute developed by the Spectrum Institute. The definition in the
instant ordinance represents a synthesis of the definitions found
in these ordinances.
A domestic partnership would be established if the following is
true:
(1) the persons live together;
(2) the persons share basic living expenses
(defined as rent), although they need not
contribute equally or jointly to the costs of
these expenses as long as they are both
responsible for these costs;
(3) the persons are not related by blood
closer than would bar marriage in the state of
California;
(4) neIther person is married;
(5) the persons are eighteen (18) years of age
or older;
(6) the persons are each other's sole domestic
partner and intend to remain so indefinitely;
(7) the persons have an intimate, committed
relationship of mutual caring;
2
(8) the persons have completed, signed and
caused to be filed an "Affidavit of Domestic
Partnership" with the City Clerk's Office on a
form prepared by the city; and
(9) neither of the persons has had a different
domestlc partner in the six months prior to
signing
the
"Affidavit
of
Domestic
Partnership, II unless the termination of the
previous domestic partnership was due to the
death of a domestic partner.
As indicated above, one of the requirements for establishing a
domestic partnership is the filing of an Affidavit of Domestic
Partnership with the City Clerk. This requirement will impose an
administrative burden on the city.
However, every ordinance
reviewed by this offlce contained a similar requirement. It serves
as a formal and pUblic acknowledgement of domestic partnership.2
This ordinance would also require one or both of the partners to
file a notice of revocation of the domestic partnership with the
2 In executing this Affidavit, the domestic partners agree
to be jOintly responsible for the rent of the dwelling unit they
share. The landlord would have recourse against both partners.
certain of the ordinances this office reviewed only held one
partner responsible for the other partner's share of the costs if
the other partner was unable to provide for himself or herself.
This office is concerned that imposing such a condition in the
landlord-tenant context could raise state preemption issues and
therefore be of questionable enforceability.
3
city Clerk when the partnership has ended, other than by death of
one of the partners, and would allow a domestic partner to amend
the affidavit of domestic partnership.
The city Clerk would be
required to maintain these documents.
In recognition of the administrative costs of this program, this
ordinance authorizes the city Council to establish, by resolution,
the amount of a filing fee to cover the costs associated with
regIstration of the domestic partnership.3
RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that the City council introduce the
attached ordinance for first reading and hold a public hearing
thereon.
Prepared By: Marsha Jones Moutrie, city Attorney
Barry A. Rosenbaum, Deputy City Attorney
3 This ordinance would amend certain provisions of Chapter
4.40. In reviewing the existing provisions in this Chapter, this
office determined that Section 4.40.040(b) [Subterfuge] should be
rewritten to clarify its meaning. This proposed amendment is
included in this ordinance. The intent of this provision has not
been altered.
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f:\atty\muni\laws\barry\dorn.par
City Council Meeting 7-25-95
Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER
(City council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA TO AMEND CHAPTER 4.40 OF THE SANTA
MONICA MUNICIPAL CODE TO PROVIDE EVICTION
PROTECTION TO TENANTS WITH DOMESTIC PARTNERS
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES HEREBY
ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1.
The title to Chapter 4.40 of the Santa Monica
Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
CHAPTER 4.40. DISCRIMINATION ON THE
BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR
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SECTION 2.
Chapter 4.40.020 of the Santa Monica Municlpal
Code is amended to read as follows:
4.40.020. Definitions.
The following words or phrases as used in
this
Chapter shall
have the
following
meanings:
Affidavit of Domestic Partnership.
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Business Establishment.
Any
entity, however organized, which furnishes
goods or services to the general public. An
otherwise qualifying establishment which has
membership requirements is considered to
furnish services to the general public if Its
membership reqUIrements: (1) consist only of
payment
of
fees;
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consist
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requirements under which a substantial portion
of the residents of the city of Santa Monica
could qualify.
(d)
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(b) (f) Individual.
The same as the term
"person. II Wherever this Chapter refers to the
sexual orientation of any individual, and the
individual is a group, the phrase shall mean
the sexual orientation of any member of the
group.
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(~~(i) Person. Any person as defined in
Municipal Code section 1.12.150.
(d) (j)
Sexual orientation. Actual or
supposed homosexuality, heterosexuality, or
bisexuality,
by
preference
or
practice,
including, but not limited to, an orientat1on
that may be impute on the basis of mannerisms,
physical characteristics or manner of dress.
SECTION 3.
Chapter 4.40.040 of the Santa Monica Municipal
Code is amended to read as follows:
4
4.40.040. Housing and other real
estate transactions
(a) Unlawful Real Estate Practices:
(1) Transactions Generally. It shall be
an unlawful real estate practice for any
person to interrupt, terminate, or fail or
refuse to initiate or conduct any transaction
in real property, including but not limited to
rental transactions, on the basis, in whole or
in part, of an individual's sexual orientation
t - t - ," "':.:;:-.:.:_. Unlawful practices
based on an lndlvldual's sexual orientati I.
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llmited to, (1) requiring different terms for
the real property transaction, (2) including
in the terms or conditions of a transaction in
real property any special or unique clause,
condition or restriction, or (3) falsely
representing that an interest in real property
is not available for transaction.
(2) Credit and Insurance. It shall be an
unlawful real estate practice for any person
to refuse to lend money, guarantee a loan,
accept a deed of trust or mortgage, or
otherwise refuse to make available funds for
the
purchase,
acquisition,
construction,
5
alteration,
rehabilitation,
repair
or
maintenance of real property,
to
impose
different conditions on such financing, to
refuse to provide title or other insurance
relating to the ownership or use of any
interest l.n real property on the basis, in
whole or in part, of any individual's sexual
orientation.
(3 )
Tenant Services.
It shall be an
unlawful real estate practice for any person
to refuse or restrict facilities, services,
repairs or improvements for any tenant or
lessee on the basis, In whole or in part, of
any Individual's sexual orientation.
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Eviclion Procccdinis.
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1111.
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Advertising.
It shall be an
unlawful real estate practice for any person
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to
make,
print,
publish,
advertise
or
disseminate in any way, any notice, statement,
or advertisement with respect to a transaction
or proposed transaction in real property, or
with respect to financing related to any such
transaction,
WhICh
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indicates
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attempts to indicate any unlawful preference,
limitation or discrimination on the basis, in
whole or in part, of any individual's sexual
orientation.
(b)
Subterfuge.
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(c) Exceptions.
(1) OWner occupied and Small Dwellings.
Nothing In this Chapter shall be construed to
apply to the rental or leasing of any housing
uni t in which the owner or lessor or any
member of his or her family occupies one of
the living units and either:
(a)
it is
necessary for the owner or lessor to use
7
either a bathroom or kitchen facility in
common with the prospective tenant; or (b) the
structure
contains
less
than
three
(3)
dwelling units.
(2) Effect on Other Laws. Nothing in this
Chapter shall be deemed to permit any rental
or
occupancy
of
any
dwelling
unit
or
commercial space otherwise prohibited by law.
Reccrdu of Domestic parLner9hip and
10' i 1 ing FtH::!~.
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SECTION 4.
Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code
or appendices thereto incons1stent with the provisions of this
Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further, is
9
hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to effect the
provisions of thIs Ordinance.
SECTION 5. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or
phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or
unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent
jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this ordinance.
The City Council hereby
declares that It would have passed this Ordinance and each and
every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared
invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion
of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or
unconstitutional.
SECTION 6.
The Mayor shall sign and the city Clerk shall
attest to the passage of thlS Ordinance.
The City Clerk shall
cause the same to be published once in the official newspaper
within 15 days after its adoption.
This Ordinance shall become
effective 30 days from lts adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
~L~
MARSHA J~ES MOUTRIE
city Attorney
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