CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 14

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'California Proposition 14' was an amendment to the constitution of the state of California promoted by segregationists who wanted to nullify the Rumford Fair Housing Act.

Contents

Rumford Fair Housing Act

References

Rumford Fair Housing Act

The Rumford Fair Housing Act was a law passed in 1963 by the state of California to help end racial discrimination by property owners and landlords who refused to rent or sell their property to "colored" customers. It was drafted by William Byron Rumford, the first African American from Northern California to serve in the legislature. The Act provided that landlords could not deny people housing because of ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, physical handicap, familial status, or any other arbitrary basis.
Many of these property owners disagreed with this act. Many felt that it was too restrictive and represented unfair interference by state government in private affairs. Thus, in 1964, the California Association of Realtors sponsored 'Proposition 14' to counteract the effects of the Act.
The proposition was to add an amendment to the constitution of California. This amendment would provide, in part, as follows:
''"Neither the State nor any subdivision or agency thereof shall deny, limit or abridge, directly or indirectly, the right of any person, who is willing or desires to sell, lease or rent any part or all of his real property, to decline to sell, lease or rent such property to such person or persons as he, in his absolute discretion, chooses."''
Following much publicity the proposition gained the endorsement of many large conservative political groups, including the John Birch Society and the California Republican Assembly. As these and other groups endorsed the proposal it became increasingly more popular and the initial petition to have the proposition added to the ballot garnered over one million signatures. This was more than twice the 480,000 signatures that were required. Such overwhelming support for the proposition proved to be consistent as it was passed by a two-thirds majority vote in the 1964 California elections.
As soon as it was passed, the federal government cut off all housing funds to California. The fact that Robert C. Weaver, the first African American member of the U.S. Cabinet, was United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, may have had something to do with the government's response.^[1]
It is believed that this amendment helped to fuel racial tensions which erupted during the Watts Riots of 1965.
Three years later, in 1967, the amendment was declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in the case of Reitman v. Mulkey. The Supreme Court ruled that the amendment was in violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

References

1. Legislator for fair employment, fair housing and public health : oral history transcript, , William Byron, interviewee, Rumford, Bancroft Library. Regional Oral History Office, ,