CALIFORNIA — The ACLU Foundation of Southern California sued the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) on January 12, alleging it unlawfully withheld public records related to housing voucher waiting lists.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program, or Section 8, helps low-income households afford private-market housing by subsidizing a portion of their rent through local housing authorities.
According to ACLU SoCal, currently only 1 in 4 households eligible for housing choice vouchers receive them, and waiting lists can last more than 10 years.
In 2023, ACLU SoCal submitted California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests to multiple California housing authorities seeking records on Section 8 voucher waiting lists. Unlike HACLA, most housing authorities statewide have produced the legally required records.
“When a year passed after the initial request with no further communication from HACLA, ACLU SoCal resubmitted its PRA request on October 28, 2024. After about six weeks with no reply, ACLU SoCal’s attorney wrote to the Agency highlighting HACLA’s failure to respond,” according to court documents.
ACLU SoCal says HACLA initially provided only records already available on its website and promised additional data, but never followed through.
Despite multiple follow-ups by ACLU SoCal, including a formal email to the agency’s general counsel, HACLA failed to produce the requested records or explain its lack of response.
“Public deserves to know how the program operates”
ACLU SoCal submitted the requests as part of a broader review of how the Housing Choice Voucher program is implemented across California.
“The public deserves to know how this program operates—especially individuals or families who wait for years on a list for a voucher, only to find they have been dropped without their knowledge or consent,” ACLU SoCal senior staff attorney Kath Rogers said.
The lawsuit asks the court to find HACLA in violation of the CPRA, order compliance with the law, and require the immediate release of all non-exempt records requested by the ACLU.
The City of Los Angeles is home to 38% of all unhoused Californians, and HACLA manages the largest number of housing choice vouchers of any authority in the state.
RELATED: Teacher Next Door boosts home buying with $9,000 grants, $24,000 down-payment aid
 on January 12, alleging it unlawfully withheld public records related to housing voucher waiting lists.){kind=link}