After Ignoring Request for Accessible Parking, Bay Area Apartment Owners to Settle State Civil Rights Complaint

SACRAMENTO – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today announced a $60,000 settlement with the owners of an Alameda County apartment complex after they repeatedly ignored a family’s disability accommodation requests for a parking spot closer to their unit. As part of the settlement, the owners of the apartment complex will update their accommodation policies, participate in fair housing training, and compensate the San Leandro-area family that filed the complaint.

“Imagine speaking up for the rights of your family and then having it used against you,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “This happens to people with disabilities all across the country all the time. In California, we have laws in place to push back. This settlement is an example of what can happen when Californians refuse to give up their rights. We all deserve to be able to enjoy our homes.”

Blocked Off and Ignored

In 2024, CRD received a complaint against the owners of a multi-unit apartment complex in Alameda County alleging that they repeatedly ignored a mother’s requests for a different parking space to accommodate the needs of her twin children with disabilities. She shared that the accommodation was for her children’s physical disabilities that made it painful and hard for them to walk. The request would have roughly cut the distance they had to cover to get to their apartment in half and the tenant who previously had the space had already moved out.

Instead of responding to the requests, the apartment owners allegedly had the space blocked off to prevent the family from using it. When the family again reached out with the assistance of a legal aid organization, the apartment owners allegedly continued to ignore the requests, even after acknowledging that they were aware of them. Eventually, the apartment owners assigned the parking space to someone else who moved in, effectively denying the family’s accommodation request.

Reasonable Accommodations

Under California law, people with disabilities have the right to request exceptions or changes to rules at apartment buildings to help them have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing. Common examples of these types of reasonable accommodation requests include asking for an accessible parking space, allowing someone to have a live-in aide, making an exception to a no-pets policy, or letting someone move to a ground floor unit. Failure to engage with a tenant on their reasonable accommodation request is a form of discrimination under the Fair Employment and Housing Act. California law also broadly defines a disability as any condition that limits a major life activity, including physical, mental, and social activities or work.

State Weighs In

After conducting an investigation, CRD determined that the apartment owners violated state disability protections and provided them an opportunity to resolve the allegations through mediation. As a result of the settlement, the apartment owners, without admitting wrongdoing, will:

• Maintain a parking space to accommodate the children’s disability.
• Create a policy and process to timely handle reasonable accommodation requests.
• Submit the new policy to CRD for review within 90 days.
• Complete at least three hours of training on fair housing protections.
• Provide information to current and prospective tenants about state civil rights protections and reasonable accommodations.
• Pay $60,000 in compensation to the family.

If you or someone you know has experienced housing discrimination, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. The department also provides general information and factsheets online about civil rights protections, including with respect to reasonable accommodations, reasonable modifications, and general protections against disability discrimination in housing.

The settlement announced today was secured by Staff Counsel Sophie Tohl and Assistant Chief Counsel Nadia Aziz. It was mediated by Attorney IV Mediator Angela E. Oh.

You can learn more by reading the settlement.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

View Press Release (PDF) After Ignoring Request for Accessible Parking, Bay Area Apartment Owners to Settle State Civil Rights Complaint