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AN ORDINANCE relating to open housing; adding antidiscrimination protections based on a renter's use of a housing subsidy or verifiable alternative source of income; and amending Ordinance 5280, Section 1, as amended, and K.C.C. 12.20.010, Ordinance 5280, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 12.20.020, Ordinance 5280, Section 3(A), as amended, and K.C.C. 12.20.040, Ordinance 5280, Section 3(B), as amended, and K.C.C. 12.20.050, Ordinance 5280, Section 3(C), as amended, and K.C.C. 12.20.060 and Ordinance 5280, Section 10, as amended, and K.C.C. 12.20.130.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. During the first quarter of 2018, the median home value in King County was six hundred fifteen thousand dollars, more than four hundred thousand dollars above the national median.
B. King County home values increased nearly sixteen percent between March 2017 and March 2018, a rate of increase more than double the national rate.
C. During the first quarter of 2018, the median monthly rental price in King County was two thousand four hundred dollars, more than eight hundred dollars above the national median.
D. These housing price levels have resulted in nearly three hundred thousand households in King County spending more than thirty percent of their incomes on housing and have made it difficult for many people to secure any type of housing.
E. Since 1981, King County has protected a person's right to housing in unincorporated areas of the county using a Section 8 housing voucher.
F. In March 2018, the Washington state Legislature approved Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2578, which preserves and expands rental housing options for persons whose source of income is derived from or includes sources other than employment.
G. Furthering fair housing for all residents of unincorporated King County is an affirmation of King County's commitment to equity and social justice.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 5280, Section 1, as ame...
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