Astorino Says He Will Support Housing Discrimination Bill

WHITE PLAINS-Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino says he will now support a federal housing discrimination bill he vetoed back in 2010.

The county executive's reversal on the Source of Income legislation is due in large part to the specter of losing $7.4 million in federal housing funding in connection with a 2009 federal fair housing court settlement.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara sent a letter last Friday threatening to seek a contempt ruling against the county and Astorino himself unless the county complied with a recent federal appeals court ruling that said Astorino violated the settlement when he vetoed the Source-of-Income legislation, according to the Journal News. On Wednesday, Astorino sent the Source of Income bill to the Board of Legislators and stated in a letter to the board that he would support the bill. The proposed legislation would prohibit landlords from rejecting prospective tenants because they use government income, such as Section 8 vouchers, to pay rent.

“The county's position is that it is in compliance with the settlement, and today's letter is further evidence that the county is following the orders of the court,” says Astorino's spokesman, Ned McCormack.

Astorino and officials with the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have been at odds over terms of the settlement and particularly Astorino's opposition to Source of Income legislation, as well as the agency's request for the county to investigate exclusionary zoning practices. Earlier this week, the Westchester County Board of Legislators granted Astorino the right to file suit if necessary in an attempt to block HUD from reallocating the $7.4 million in Community Block Grant funding. See story in the Journal News.