LA to pay nearly $40 million to settle affordable housing accessibility federal lawsuit

The leftist utopia at the center of the state of California is at odds with itself, facing the possibility of going millions into the red on making allowances for those differently abled.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on August 26 that the city of Los Angeles had agreed to pay $38.2 million to settle claims that it had not met federal accessibility requirements when it utilized Housing and Urban Development grant funding for multifamily affordable housing, as The Epoch Times reported.

This settlement ends a whistleblower lawsuit that was filed in 2017 by a wheelchair-using Los Angeles resident and the nonprofit disability-rights advocacy group, the Fair Housing Council of the San Fernando Valley.

There has been no decision of responsibility, and the claims that have been handled are merely allegations, according to the Justice Department. This is despite California being the home of the vice president and current Democrat presidential nominee, which has been heralded as the most inclusive state in the union.

From Officials

According to the agency, a whistleblower's "relator share"—the portion of a settlement that they receive—has not been decided upon yet.

"The city is pleased that the matter is now behind us following the hard work of the City Attorney's Office defending this litigation," said Hydee Feldstein Soto, the city attorney.

Los Angeles and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development may now put their differences aside and work together to provide the much-needed affordable and accessible housing for the city's citizens now that the settlement agreement has been approved by the court.

“The city denies that it violated the False Claims Act. Nonetheless, we are pleased to have reached this $38.2 million settlement, particularly in light of the federal government’s initial claim that it was entitled to well over $1 billion in alleged damages,” Feldstein Soto added.

Housing Department's Take

Publicly funded housing for all Los Angelenos is a top priority for the city's housing department, according to a statement from Sharon Sandow, who spoke with City News Service.

The claim stated that for more than ten years, the city did not ensure that its affordable multifamily housing program was accessible to individuals with disabilities, and that it did not adhere to federal accessibility laws such as the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Fair Housing Act when constructing and renovating such properties.

The Justice Department reports that, for instance, federal law mandates that 5% of all units in specific types of assisted multifamily housing be accessible for individuals with mobility disabilities and an extra 2% be accessible for individuals with vision and aural impairments.

The Justice Department accused the city of failing to accomplish one of the requirements for receiving these funds: maintaining a publicly available list of accessible units, detailing accessibility features, and designating at least one city employee to manage accessibility initiatives.