San Francisco set to make Felons a “protected class” [Darleen Click]
[Facepalm]
A legislative proposal in San Francisco seeks to make ex-cons and felons a protected class, along with existing categories of residents like African-Americans, people with disabilities and pregnant women. If passed by city supervisors, landlords and employers would be prohibited from asking applicants about their criminal past. [...] According to The City’s Human Rights Commission, San Francisco has the highest recidivism rate of any big city in California, almost 80 percent. With an influx of new prisoners set to be released because of the state’s budget crisis, supporters argue felons need legal protections before they’re disqualified simply because of their record, which could be decades old and for crimes that have nothing to do with the job they’re hoping to get.
Commission Director Teresa Sparks calls it a public safety issue.
“Without housing, it’s hard to keep a steady job, and many times because of that, people recommit,” Sparks said. She argues a criminal history shouldn’t be the only reason someone is denied housing or work. [...]
Sparks says rental property owners could turn away sex offenders and people who’ve committed some violent crimes, like murder. Employers could also reject job applicants if their crimes are “significantly related” to the position they are seeking, but they could only inquire about the applicants’ criminal past at the end of the interview process.
proteinwisdom.com
Why Would Anyone Start a Business in San Francisco?...Do you really want to open your customer contact business in a location where you cannot background check employees, or are not legally allowed to fire them if you find some horrible criminal history? Can you imagine the lawsuits flying? And don’t tell me that the company would be safe in a courtroom arguing that it was illegal to check. I could easily see a California jury holding a company liable for not background checking an employee for an incident even when it was illegal to do so.
coyoteblog.com
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