KPBS Midday Edition

Fair Housing In San Diego - Addressing Discrimination

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host, Patty Lane / Producer

Published April 9, 2013 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 11 years ago.

Fair Housing

Fair Housing In San Diego — Addressing Discrimination

GUEST:Mary Scott Knoll, Executive Director, Fair Housing Council of San Diego

The Fair Housing Act was passed 45 years ago but many San Diegans aren't aware of how it protects against discrimination in housing.

Mary Scott Knoll, executive director of the Fair Housing Council of San Diego tells KPBS, "qualified applicants should have the same opportunities without regard to race, color or religion." Those are just a few of the protections offered by the Fair Housing Act. There are even more laws protecting Californians, including those discriminated against based on sexual orientation.

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Knoll says people are discriminated against in four areas; rental, purchasing a home, mortgage lending and housing insurance. There's also a disturbing trend of who is being targeted. Knoll says a HUD study found the largest rate of discrimination, 19 percent to 25 percent, is against Native Americans, Asians, Hispanic and African Americans. She also points out that "there's a great increase in the number of housing discrimination complaints against disabilities being seen."

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The Fair Housing Council of San Diego offers a hotline for residents to call with questions or complaints. Knoll says they get a number of calls but many are for landlord-tenant issues, which they refer to other agencies. Those with questions or concerns can contact the council at (619) 699-5888.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Peggy Pico

Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

See stories by Peggy Pico