STATE OF CALIFORNIA | Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency
GAVIN NEWSOM, GOVERNOR
Civil Rights Department
2218 Kausen Drive, Suite 100 | Elk Grove | CA | 95758
800-884-1684 (voice) | 800-700-2320 (TTY) | California’s Relay Service at 711
www.calcivilrights.ca.gov | contact.center@calcivilrights.ca.gov
KEVIN KISH, DIRECTOR
February 14, 2023 Renée Rondinone (916) 206-3882
For Immediate Release publicaffairs@calcivilrights.ca.gov
Bay Area Housing Providers To Pay $3 Million To Settle CRD Lawsuit Alleging
Discrimination Against Families with Children
Fair Housing violations alleged at 48 apartment complexes affecting more than 2000 families
Sacramento – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has reached a consent decree resolving a
systemic fair housing lawsuit against property management company Vasona Management, Inc.
(Vasona) and more than 30 apartment complex owners for discrimination against families with
children at 48 apartment complexes throughout the Bay Area. The settlement has been reached in
Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Vasona Property Management, Inc., et al., Case No.
RG20078727, which is pending in Alameda County Superior Court.
Following investigation of a complaint filed by Project Sentinel and a subsequent CRD Director’s
complaint, CRD brought this lawsuit in October 2020 on behalf of a group of aggrieved families,
alleging that Vasona and the owners of apartment complexes that Vasona manages violated the Fair
Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Unruh Civil Rights Act (Unruh Act) by prohibiting any
outdoor play activities and requiring parents to supervise children under the age of 14 in all common
areas. Tenants who violated these rules faced threat of eviction.
“Overly restrictive rules that discourage or prohibit children from enjoying their home unlawfully limit
where people can live and harm families,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “This settlement of a systemic
fair housing lawsuit provides substantial relief for affected tenants and raises awareness that California
law affords people with children the same access to, benefits, and enjoyment of their housing as all
others.”
Housing discrimination based on familial status violates the FEHA and Unruh Act. Under these laws, a
housing provider or property manager cannot discriminate because a person has children under the
age of 18, is in the process of securing legal custody of a child, or is pregnant.
Pursuant to a consent decree resolving this case, Vasona will pay $3 million to aggrieved families and
will implement corrective measures over five years. These measures include submitting any rules
about the supervision of children in common areas or resident’s outdoor activities for CRD’s review
and approval; distributing brochures to tenants about their rights; creating and maintaining policies to
prevent discrimination, including ways for tenants to report discrimination; train for four hours
annually anyone involved in the managing or renting of property; and provide an annual report to CRD
regarding its compliance with the decree. Owner defendants are prohibited from engaging in future
2
discrimination, including from publishing, applying, or enforcing discriminatory rules at properties they
own or manage.
The proposed consent decree can be viewed on the Department’s website.
Nelson Chan, Assistant Chief Counsel, Rumduol Vuong, Assistant Chief Counsel, Mackenzie Anderson,
Staff Counsel, and Azadeh Hosseinian, Senior Staff Counsel, represented CRD.
###
The CRD is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. The mission of the CRD
is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing and public
accommodations and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit the CRD’s
web site at [email protected].
Tenants who lived with children under the age of 18 at one of the properties listed below from April
16, 2016 to July 1, 2019 may be eligible for relief and should contact the Civil Rights Department at
vasona@calcivilRights.ca.gov:
Adelaide Pines Apartments Adobe Lake Apartment Homes
1730 Adelaide Street 1500 Ellis Street
Concord, CA 94520 Concord, CA 94520
Amador Apartments Amador Heights Apartments
24660 Amador Street 1880 Laguna Street
Hayward, CA 94544 Concord, CA 94520
Ashland Garden Apartments Bancroft Towers Apartments
16183 Ashland Avenue 13475 Bancroft Avenue
San Lorenzo, CA 94580 San Leandro, CA 94578
Broadway Tower Apartments Brookvale Chateau Apartments
1601 Broadway Street 36163 Fremont Boulevard
Concord, CA 94520 Fremont, CA 94536
Carmel House Apartments Catalina Crest Apartments
1744 – 1756 Carmel Drive 928, 1038 & 1046 Catalina Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Livermore, CA 94550
City Walk Apartments Courtyard Apartments
3
1688 Clayton Road 24050 Silva Avenue
Concord, CA 94520 Hayward, CA 94545
Curtner Apartments El Gato Penthouse Apartments
283-301-327 Curtner Avenue 20 East Main Street
Palo Alto, CA 94306 Los Gatos, CA 95030
Fremont Manor Apartments Glen Eyrie Apartments
4291 Stevenson Boulevard 51 Glen Eyrie Avenue
Fremont, CA 94538 San Jose, CA 95125
Glen Oaks Apartments Hawthorne Apartments
27475 Hesperian Boulevard 325-327 Hawthorne Avenue
Hayward, CA 94545 Palo Alto, CA 95306
Hidden Lake Apartments
3375 Homestead Road
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Laguna Ellis Apartments
1776 Laguna Street
Concord, CA 94520
Lakeshore Apartment Homes/Lakeshore
Apartments
1530 Ellis Street
Concord, CA 94520
Lincoln Glen Apartment Homes
4261 Stevenson Boulevard
Fremont, CA 94538
Logan Park Apartments
3832020 Logan Drive
Fremont, CA 84536
Lorenzo Commons Apartments
16201 & 17155 Hesperian Boulevard
San Lorenzo, CA 94580
Los Gatos Creek Apartments
1029 Meridian Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
Marina Breeze Apartments
13897 - 13931 Doolittle Drive
San Leandro, CA 94577
Mission Park Apartments
766 1st Street & 1931 Miller Avenue
Gilroy, CA 95020
North Main Apartments
2971 North Main Street
Walnut Creek, 94597
Northgate Savoy Apartments
34077 Paseo Padre Parkway
Fremont, CA 94555
Palace Apartment Homes
1731 Pine Street
Concord, CA 94920
Paseo Gardens Apartments
16929 Meekland Avenue
Hayward, CA 94541
57 Paseo Grande
San Lorenzo, CA 94580
Redwood Plaza Apartments
38730 Lexington Street
Fremont, CA 94936
Redwood Valley Apartments
4
22281 Center Street
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Sequoyah I Apartments
1741 Detroit Avenue
Concord, CA 94520
Sequoyah II Apartments
1711 Detroit Ave
Concord, CA 94520
Serra Commons Apartments
1580 Southgate Ave
Daly City, CA 94015
Spring Valley Apartments
133 North Temple Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
St. Moritz Apartments I
1501 & 1531 Detroit Avenue
Concord, CA 94520
St. Moritz Apartments II
1501 Detroit Avenue
Concord, CA 94520
St. Moritz Garden Apartments
14744 Washington Avenue
San Leandro, CA 94578
Sycamore Commons Apartments
38655 Paseo Padre Parkway
Fremont, CA 94536
Sycamore Square Apartments
36777 Sycamore Street
Newark, CA 94560
The Village of Taxco Apartments
1324 South Winchester Boulevard
San Jose, CA 95128
Tyrella Arms Apartments
284 Tyrella Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043
Washington Townhomes
15700 Washington Avenue
San Lorenzo, CA 94580
Wellsbury Apartments
3085 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Whitman Villa Townhomes
25455 Whitman Street
Hayward, CA 94544
