City officials are considering a law that would prohibit private employers, landlords and city contractors from inquiring about an individual's arrest or conviction history before determining whether that person is qualified for a job or housing.
If the law is approved, San Francisco would join Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts and Philadelphia in protecting most people with criminal records from blanket discrimination in the private job market. A handful of jurisdictions in Illinois and Wisconsin impose similar restrictions on landlords, and Seattle is now weighing a proposal comparable to San Francisco's that does both.
