Feds Turn Up Heat on Westchester - ProPublica: The showdown in Westchester County over a 4-year-old federal residential desegregation order just got real.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to the New York City suburb last Friday threatening to seek a contempt ruling in federal court. A contempt ruling could result in fines against both the county and County Executive Rob Astorino if he fails to agree to enact legislation that would ban discrimination against people who pay their rent with government assistance.
Westchester County signed a settlement with the federal government in 2009 over its failure to comply with fair housing requirements tied to federal grants. The settlement required Astorino to promote legislation — known as source-of-income measures — that would end discrimination against those using government subsidies to help pay their rents. Instead, Astorino vetoed the law passed by the county's Board of Legislators in 2010 that would have addressed the issue.
