Current:Home > StocksLA to pay more than $38M for failing to make affordable housing accessible-InfoLens
LA to pay more than $38M for failing to make affordable housing accessible
View Date:2024-12-23 11:07:11
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The city of Los Angeles will pay $38.2 million to settle a 2017 lawsuit after “falsely” stating on federal documents that its multifamily affordable housing units built with federal funds were accessible for people with disabilities.
The complaint was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of a Los Angeles resident, Mei Ling, who uses a wheelchair and the Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, a disability rights advocacy group. Their share of the settlement has not been determined.
Ling, 57, has used a wheelchair since January 2006— and has either been homeless or in housing without the accessibility features, the lawsuit said.
It alleged that the city of LA did not make its multifamily affordable housing options accessible to those with disabilities for at least six years. Some issues were slopes that were too steep, counters that were too high, and entryways that did not permit wheelchair access, officials said.
The lawsuit also stated the city failed to maintain a publicly available list of accessible units and their accessibility features, and that it “knowingly and falsely certified” to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that it complied with these requirements.
A representative for the LA city attorney’s office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
When the Housing and Urban Development department provides grant funds to local governments to build and rehabilitate affordable multifamily housing units, they must comply with federal accessibility laws, officials said. This includes a mandate that 5% of all units in certain types of federally assisted housing be accessible for people with mobility impairments, and another 2% be accessible for people with visual and auditory impairments.
They also must maintain a publicly available list of accessible units with a description of their accessibility features, among other housing-related accessibility requirements.
In the six years prior to the lawsuit filing in 2017, LA received nearly a billion dollars in various funds from the federal housing agency that went toward at least 28 multifamily housing projects, according to the plaintiffs. None of them contained the minimum number of accessible units required by law.
Meanwhile, the city “caused HUD and the public to believe that it was in compliance with all federal obligations relating to the receipt of federal housing and community development funds,” the lawsuit said.
Previously, the city settled a similar suit in 2016.
veryGood! (2771)
Related
- One person is dead after a shooting at Tuskegee University
- 'One Piece' on Netflix: What's next for popular pirate show? What we know about Season 2.
- Trump's Georgia co-defendants may have millions in legal expenses — who will foot the bill?
- Alabama pursues appeal of ruling striking down districts as racially discriminatory
- Full House Star Dave Coulier Shares Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Diagnosis
- Jacksonville begins funerals for Black victims of racist gunman with calls to action, warm memories
- Peep these 20 new scary movies for Halloween, from 'The Nun 2' to 'Exorcist: Believer'
- Russian missile attack kills policeman, injures 44 others in Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine
- Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
- Why Mark-Paul Gosselaar Regrets This Problematic Saved by the Bell Scene
Ranking
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- Miami Beach’s iconic Clevelander Hotel and Bar to be replaced with affordable housing development
- Latest sighting of fugitive killer in Pennsylvania spurs closure of popular botanical garden
- Police have cell phone video of Julio Urías' altercation from domestic violence arrest
- The Best Gifts for People Who Don’t Want Anything
- One way employers drive workers to quit? Promote them.
- Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there
- How the Royal Family Is Honoring Queen Elizabeth II On First Anniversary of Her Death
Recommendation
-
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
-
Ex-cop charged with murder: Video shows officer rushed to car, quickly shot through window
-
Eagles pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett at final tour kickoff: 'Sailing on that cosmic ocean'
-
Tahesha Way sworn in as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor after death of Sheila Oliver
-
Top Federal Reserve official defends central bank’s independence in wake of Trump win
-
A former Texas lawman says he warned AG Ken Paxton in 2020 that he was risking indictment
-
Residents of four states are will get more information about flood risk to their homes
-
One way employers drive workers to quit? Promote them.