Santa Monica City Attorney Announces Fair Housing Month Campaign
April 6, 2017 8:55 AM
The Santa Monica City Attorney's Consumer Protection Division has announced its campaign for the month of April to improve community awareness of the fair housing laws and to help eliminate housing discrimination in the City. April is National Fair Housing Month and 2017 is the 49th Anniversary of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.
Santa Monica’s fair housing awareness campaign includes the following:
Fair Housing Poster Contest: Over 300 elementary and junior high students from Santa Monica participated in the City's annual Fair Housing Poster Contest this year, creating dynamic posters that feature the 2017 theme Fair Housing Builds Bridges. A panel of six judges had the tough but enjoyable task of selecting nine finalists from more than 300 entries. The nine finalists' posters will be on display in the lobby of City Hall during the week of April 17. The finalists are:
Ryder Dyer - First Grade
Marley Phasavath - Second Grade
Will Zhao - Third Grade
Monica Benavente - Fourth Grade
Justin Smith – Fifth Grade
Sophia Muzzey – Sixth Grade
Ava Bourdeau – Seventh Grade
Peter Riedle – Seventh Grade
Magzhan Norlan – Eighth Grade
Four of the posters will also be published as calendars for 2018 and will be part of the City's fair housing ad campaign.
And finally, Peter Riedle’s poster will be animated for the City’s very first Fair Housing Public Service video. Peter’s poster will come to life to help the City Attorney’s Office educate the public about protections against housing discrimination.
People's Choice Award: On April 17, 2016, the students, teachers, parents and general public are welcome to come view the nine posters from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 3:00 -5:00 pm in City Hall, and cast their votes for a People's Choice for one of the posters.
Fair Housing Ad Campaign: The City will run a community awareness ad in the Santa Monica Daily Press at least twice in April. The ad will feature one of the students’ posters.
Fair Housing Workshop: The City's Attorney's office is sponsoring a fair housing workshop on Tuesday, April 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. registration) at the Santa Monica Main Library (Sixth Street and Santa Monica Blvd.). The workshop will explain the laws that prohibit housing discrimination. There will also be a panel on disability issues in rental housing. The presenters include Chancela Al Mansour, Executive Director of the Housing Rights Center; Denise McGranahan, Senior Staff Attorney at Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles; Andrea Cavanaugh, Consumer Specialist, City of Santa Monica; and Gary Rhoades, Deputy City Attorney, City of Santa Monica.
All owners, property managers, tenants, advocates, and attorneys are invited to RSVP and attend free of charge. A continental breakfast will be provided and library parking will be validated. Please reserve your spot by April 14, 2017 by going to www.smconsumer.org. On the right side of the home page, click the “Save the Date and Register! Santa Monica City Attorney's Office Hosts Fair Housing Workshop" link.
Spaces fill up fast so early registration is recommended.
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