Lake Oswego City Hall is pictured here. (Staff file photo)

During a Lake Oswego City Council meeting Tuesday, July 15, Councilor John Wendland questioned why the city needs to codify a Fair Housing Policy — which places protections against housing discrimination into code — when it already follows state and federal standards that outlaw discriminatory practices.

But city staff explained, and the council agreed, that adopting the policy is a way to take credit for work the local government is already doing to make the community more inclusive.  Councilors also felt that the city needs to continue to highlight its policies as a way to combat the narratives that paint Lake Oswego as a regressive, closed off community.

“As long as people continue to say ‘Lake Oswego was racist, Lake Oswego was not a welcoming community,’ it continues to perpetuate the narrative that we all acknowledge doesn’t really exist anymore,” Councilor Aaron Rapf said. “We are all so committed to changing the perception of Lake Oswego.”

What is fair housing?

The federal Fair Housing Act shields protected classes — based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and more — from housing discrimination and policies that have a disparate impact on them.

Like other places in Oregon, including Portland, Lake Oswego has a history of deed restrictions that once prevented Black, Chinese and Japanese people from owning a home here. Those restrictions — which can still sometimes be found on local deeds — have since become illegal and void. However, policies that violate fair housing law can be more subtle — like placing additional barriers on housing development for more affordable housing types.

“For me, putting this on the table announcing and declaring our intention, I want that because I want to cut ties with the history of us and I want to make sure everybody across the country knows that we are not who we were 40 years ago or 100 years ago. And this takes us to the next level, declaring our commitment with a policy that may not have an immediate action item but will capture every opportunity in the future to go in that direction,” Councilor Ali Afghan said.

Policy consequences 

Among the results of racist policies from the 19th and 20th century is that the state and Lake Oswego are disproportionately white. In Lake Oswego, though overtly racist policies are not pursued, Mayor Joe Buck acknowledged that the community has put up barriers more recently to housing accessibility.

“There’s a reason why demographics are the way they are. Some of it way back and some of it is in our lifetimes,” he said.

Councilors want to better celebrate what it has accomplished in recent years — including projects to build affordable housing, reduce barriers to housing production (as mandated by state law) and steps to celebrate minority cultures.

“I do think it’s important we communicate the direction our community is going because it has grown quite a bit and I think the mentality of the community has changed substantially since the ‘70s and the ‘80s,” Buck said.

“We can do a better job celebrating what we have already accomplished. Some of it, the state pushed, and also some if it is because the community has said we wanted it,” Councilor Rachel Verdick said.

City staff will bring a formal proposal for an adoption of a fair housing policy at a future meeting.