A top Arizona House Republican is calling for a state investigation of a new Tucson law that bans landlords from rejecting tenants solely because they receive government housing aid.
GOP Speaker-elect Rep. Ben Toma of Peoria said the Tucson measure violates a state statute that preempts local governments from placing restrictions on the rental housing industry.
Toma, who owns a real estate firm, sent a written complaint to the Arizona Attorney General's Office requesting that the Tucson ordinance be declared unconstitutional.
State law specifically prohibits municipalities from enacting laws that place "more regulatory burdens on rental property owners," Toma wrote. He said the state should consider withhold funding from the city or taking the matter to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero's office did not respond Friday to a request for comment. City Attorney Mike Rankin, whose office is responsible for vetting proposed new laws before passage, was not available for comment Friday.
Tucson City Council voted unanimously in September to adopt the new measure over objections from an apartment owners group. The change bans housing discrimination based on source of income, adding to the list of existing rules against prejudice based on factors such as race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.
Council members said the measure was necessary because discrimination is rampant against low-income families, seniors, military veterans and people with disabilities who receive Section 8 housing vouchers or other forms of rental aid.
In a news release, Toma said the city council has only itself to blame for Tucson's affordable housing shortage. Local zoning and land use policies have discouraged new housing development, he said.
"These decisions, and these decisions alone, are the reasons why citizens in Tucson cannot find safe and affordable housing options, he said. "Blaming those who construct new housing or those who provide housing is misguided at best."
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