A California city will have to spend nearly $1 million remedying the harms of its allegedly illegal and unconstitutional "crime-free" rental housing program. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement agreement with Hesperia, California, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department that unwinds the last vestiges of a local program that required landlords to evict tenants suspected of committing crimes—regardless of whether they'd been convicted or even charged with anything.
The settlement will require the city and sheriff's department to spend $670,000 compensating people harmed by the ordinance. The defendants will have to spend another $300,000 in fines and on community programs and marketing to promote fair housing.
