Support Family and Relationship Structure Nondiscrimination Ordinances in

Stockton

We, the undersigned residents and allies of Stockton, California, call upon our city council to adopt comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinances that protect all families and relationships, regardless of their structure. These ordinances would add family or relationship structure as protected categories in our cities civil rights codes, ensuring equal treatment under the law for all residents.

Why This Matters

Our community is diverse, and our laws must reflect that reality. Today, many California families face discrimination simply because they don’t fit traditional definitions of family. This includes:

Multi-partner and multi-parent families

Single parents by choice

Multi-generational households

Blended and step-families

Consensually non-monogamous relationships

Asexual and aromantic individuals and relationships

Without explicit protections, these families face discrimination in housing, employment, healthcare, education, and access to city services. Recent surveys show that in California, three out of five people in non-traditional relationship structures report experiencing discrimination in at least one area of their lives.

What Were Asking

We ask Stockton to follow the leadership of Berkeley and Oakland, which adopted similar ordinances in 2024, and Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts, which passed these protections in 2023. The proposed ordinances would:

Prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, business establishments, and city services based on family or relationship structure

Allow individuals to seek civil remedies if their rights are violated

Align with California's recent legislative progress, including the Family Caregiver Anti-Discrimination Act (AB 524) and the Paid Family Leave for Chosen Family Act (AB 518)

Require no additional city staff or budget resources

California is Leading the Way

California has already recognized that families come in many forms. State legislation now protects family caregivers from workplace discrimination and extends paid family leave to chosen family members. As Assembly member Buffy Wicks stated, Who we count as members of our family and choose to care for includes so many more Californians than what our current laws recognize.

Stockton has an opportunity to build on this momentum and ensure that all residents—regardless of how they structure their families or relationships—can live authentically, access essential services, and participate fully in civic life without fear of discrimination.

The Impact of These Protections

These ordinances would provide critical protections to thousands of Stockton residents.

Research shows:

Only 18% of U.S. households resemble the traditional nuclear family model

A record 20% of Americans now live in multi-generational households

One in three home purchases involves co-buyers who aren't married

4-5% of American adults are in consensually non-monogamous relationships

One in five adults will be in a consensually non-monogamous relationship at some point in their lives.

Cities that have implemented these protections report positive community responses, straightforward implementation, and no negative budgetary impacts. Most importantly, they send a clear message: all families deserve dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law.

Our Call to Action

We urge the Stockton City Council to:

Adopt comprehensive family and relationship structure nondiscrimination ordinances

Amend existing civil rights codes to explicitly include ;family or relationship structure as protected categories

Ensure all residents can access housing, employment, services, and opportunities without discrimination

Demonstrate leadership in protecting diverse families and relationships

Every family deserves the freedom to live openly and honestly. Every relationship built on love, consent, and mutual care deserves respect. By adopting these ordinances, Stockton can ensure that no resident faces discrimination simply because their family doesn't fit outdated norms.

We call on our city councils to act swiftly and decisively to protect all families. The time for inclusive legislation is now.

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF STOCKTON AMENDING THE MUNICIPAL CODE TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF FAMILY OR RELATIONSHIP STRUCTURE

WHEREAS, the City of Stockton recognizes the diverse composition of its citizenry and values its people, including the diverse composition of families and intimate relationships; and

WHEREAS, the City recognizes that diverse family and relationship structures, including relationship structures involving more than two adults engaged in a loving and consensual relationship, are becoming increasingly common; and

WHEREAS, people in interpersonal relationships between two or more adult individuals that involve romantic, physical, emotional, and/or familial intimacy face discrimination in many aspects of public life due to prejudicial misunderstandings related to the validity and moral fitness of such relationships; and

WHEREAS, single parents and people who identify as asexual and/or aromantic also face discrimination in many aspects of public life; and

WHEREAS, the City of Stockton acknowledges that many antidiscrimination laws were enacted in a time when diverse family and relationship structures were not properly recognized and now seeks to recognize the diverse family and relationship structures of its residents, including multi-partner/multi-parent families and relationships, step-families, single parents, diverse family structures, multi-generational households, consensually non-monogamous relationships, and consensual sexual and/or intimate relationships, including asexual and aromantic relationships; and

WHEREAS, research indicates that only 18% of U.S. households resemble the nuclear family model, while approximately 4-5% of American adults describe their current relationship as consensually non-monogamous, and one in five adults will be in such a relationship at some point in their life; and

WHEREAS, recent surveys show that three out of five people in non-traditional relationship structures in California report experiencing discrimination in at least one area of their lives, including housing, employment, healthcare, and city services; and

WHEREAS, the State of California has recognized diverse family structures through recent legislation including the Family Caregiver Anti-Discrimination Act (AB 524) and the Paid Family Leave for Chosen Family Act (AB 518); and

WHEREAS, cities including Berkeley, Oakland, Cambridge, and Somerville have successfully implemented similar protections with positive community response and no negative budgetary impacts.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Stockton as follows:

Section 1. Findings and Purpose

The City Council of the City of Stockton finds and determines that:

A. It is the policy of the City to eliminate all forms of discrimination within the City, particularly discrimination against individuals who are part of families or relationships that fall outside the nuclear family norm. These include single parents, multi-partner/multi-parent families and relationships, multi-generational households, consensually non-monogamous relationships, and asexual and aromantic relationships.

B. It is the intent of the City to eliminate discrimination against individuals in such family or relationship structures in housing, employment, public accommodations, educational institutions, business establishments, and city services.

C. The perpetuation of nuclear definitions of family excludes a significant segment of the population. Individuals should not face discrimination on the basis of whom they share their homes, their hearts, and their lives.

D. Without explicit legal protections, diverse family and relationship structures face widespread stigma and discrimination in critical areas such as housing, healthcare, employment, education, and business services, underscoring the urgent need for legal recognition and protection.

Section 2. Definitions

As used in this ordinance, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section:

A. Family or relationship structure means the actual or perceived involvement or uninvolvement of an individual in an intimate personal relationship or relationships, as defined in subsection (B). Family or relationship structure includes an individual's actual or perceived affinity, or lack thereof, for any given type of intimate personal relationship, regardless of whether the individual is currently in any intimate personal relationship(s).

B. Intimate personal relationship means any interpersonal relationship between two or more adult individuals that involves romantic, physical, and/or emotional intimacy, irrespective of the marital status of these individuals. Intimate personal relationship includes, but is not limited to, multi-partner/multi-parent families and relationships, step-families, multi-generational households, consensually non-monogamous relationships, and consensual sexual and/or intimate relationships, including asexual and aromantic relationships.

C. Business establishment means any entity, however organized, which furnishes goods, services, or accommodations to the general public. An otherwise qualifying establishment which has membership requirements is considered to furnish services to the general public if its membership requirements: (1) consist only of payment of fees; (2) consist of requirements under which a substantial portion of the residents of this City could qualify; or (3) consist of an otherwise unlawful business practice.

D. Discrimination means any act, policy, or practice which, regardless of intent, has the effect of subjecting any person to differential treatment as a result of that persons family or relationship structure. The phrase differential treatment includes any limitation on a persons full, unsegregated, and equal access to or enjoyment of employment, real estate transactions, business establishments, and municipal services. Discrimination on the basis of family or relationship structure shall include both discrimination based on actual knowledge of family or relationship structure and discrimination based on supposition or assumption of family or relationship structure.

E. Individual means the same as the term person.

F. Person means any natural person, firm, corporation, partnership or other organization, association or group of persons however organized.

G. Real estate transactions means and includes the sale, repair, improvement, lease, rental, or occupancy of any interest or portion of any interest in real property and shall also include the extension of credit, financing, insurance, or services in connection with the sale, repair, improvement, lease, rental, or occupancy of any such interest in real property.

Section 3. Unlawful Practices

A. General Prohibitions

It is unlawful for any person to do anything which has the effect of discriminating against any person as a result of that person's family or relationship structure, with respect to any of the following activities:

1. Real Estate Transactions. Any real estate transaction including but not limited to the rental thereof and/or any related terms, conditions, advertisements, communications, insurance, maintenance, rehabilitation, repairs, improvements, use or availability of facilities, or financing including loans and guarantees.

2. Business Establishments. The use or availability of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations from any business establishment, and/or any related terms, conditions, advertisements, or communications.

3. Educational Institutions. Admission and the use or availability of any services, programs, and facilities, and/or any related terms, conditions, advertisements, or communications.

4. City Facilities and Services. The use or availability of any municipal service or facility.

5. City Supported Services and Facilities. The use or availability of any service or facility wholly or partially funded or otherwise supported by the City.

6. Employment. All aspects of employment as detailed in subsection B below.

B. Employment Practices

It shall be an unlawful employment practice:

1. For an employer to fail or refuse to hire, or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment on the basis of such individuals family or relationship structure.

2. For an employer to limit, segregate, or classify employees or applicants for employment in any manner which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities, or adversely affect their employment status on the basis of such individuals family or relationship structure.

3. For an employment agency to fail or refuse to refer for employment any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual on the basis of such individuals family or relationship structure.

4. For a labor organization to fail or refuse to include in its membership or to otherwise discriminate against any individual; or to limit, segregate, or classify its membership; or to classify or fail or refuse to refer for employment any individual in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive such individual of employment opportunities, or otherwise adversely affect their status as an employee or as an applicant for employment on the basis of such individuals family or relationship structure.

5. For an employer, an employment agency, or a labor organization to discriminate against any individual in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including any on-the-job training program on the basis of such individuals family or relationship structure.

6. For an employer, employment agency, or a labor organization to print, publish, advertise, or disseminate in any way, any notice or advertisement with respect to employment, membership in, or any classification or referral for employment or training by any such organization, which expresses an intent to discriminate based on family or relationship structure.

C. Exceptions

1. Housing. Nothing in this ordinance shall be (a) construed to apply to the rental or leasing of any housing unit in which the owner or any member of the owners family occupies the same living unit in common with the prospective tenant; (b) deemed to permit any rental or occupancy of any dwelling unit or commercial space otherwise prohibited by law; or (c) override any just cause for eviction set forth in applicable rental stabilization ordinances.

2. Education. It shall not be an unlawful discriminatory practice for a religious or denominational educational institution to limit admission to applicants of the same religion.

3. City Supported Services and Facilities. The prohibitions regarding city-supported services and facilities do not apply to facilities or services which only receive assistance from the City which is provided to the public generally.

D. Pretext

It shall be unlawful to do any of the actions mentioned in this Section for any reason that would not have been asserted but for an individuals family or relationship structure.

E. Advertising

It is unlawful for any person to make, publish, or disseminate any notice or statement which indicates that such person engages in or will engage in any practice prohibited by this ordinance.

Section 4. Enforcement

A. Civil Action

Any aggrieved person may enforce the provisions of this ordinance by means of a civil action.

B. Equitable Relief

Any person who commits, proposes to commit, or aids another in committing an act that violates this ordinance may be enjoined therefrom by any court of competent jurisdiction. An action for injunction under this subsection may be brought by any aggrieved person, by the City Attorney, by the district attorney, or by any person or entity which will fairly and adequately represent the interests of the protected class. The court may also award any further relief it deems proper, including but not limited to restitution.

C. Civil Liability

Any person who violates, or any person who aids another to violate, any provision of this ordinance shall be liable for up to three (3) times actual damages, litigation costs, and reasonable attorneys fees. In cases where actual damages cannot be readily calculated or are minimal, damages shall be not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000). The court may award punitive damages in appropriate cases.

D. Limitation on Action

Actions under this ordinance must be filed within one year of the alleged discriminatory act(s).

E. Remedies Not Exclusive

The remedies available in this ordinance are not exclusive and may be used cumulatively with any other remedies in this ordinance or at law.

Section 5. Nonwaiverability

Any written or oral agreement whereby any provision of this ordinance is waived or modified is against public policy and void.

Section 6. Waiver

The provisions of this ordinance do not apply where their application would violate or be inconsistent with state or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

Section 7. Severability

If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this ordinance, or any application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions or applications of this ordinance. The Council of the City of Stockton hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, and word not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any other portion of this ordinance or application thereof would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.

Section 8. Effective Date

This ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after its adoption.

Section 9. Publication

Copies of this ordinance shall be posted for two days prior to adoption in the manner required by law. Within fifteen (15) days of adoption, copies of this ordinance shall be filed at appropriate locations and the title shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Stockton.