On April 3, both the City and County of San Francisco amended the Fair Chance Ordinance ("FCO") – their existing ban-the-box law – to align it with the new, corollary California law (AB 1008) that took effect on January 1, 2018. San Francisco's new amendments take effect on October 1, 2018.

The amendments to the existing FCO include:

  • Removing the restriction that employers, housing providers, contractors, and subcontractors may inquire about, require disclosure of, and base housing and employment decisions on convictions for decriminalized behavior that are seven years old or less. There is no seven-year limitation in the amended FCO.
  • The FCO will now apply to employers that employ five or more persons (previously it was 20 or more).
  • A first violation can result in a penalty of up to $500, whereas previously none was assessed.
  • A second violation can result in a penalty of up to $1,000 (previously up to $50). Subsequent violations can result in penalties of up to $2,000 (previously up to $100).
  • If multiple people are impacted by the same procedural violation at the same time, the violation would be treated as one violation for each impacted person (previously treated as a single violation rather than multiple violations).
  • Penalties must be paid to the person impacted by the violation, not the City/County of San Francisco.
  • The right to sue is no longer limited to the City Attorney. Any employee or applicant whose rights have been violated can sue.
  • Employers are now prohibited from inquiring about, requesting disclosure of, or utilizing a person's conviction history until after a conditional offer of employment has been made (the previous measure limited inquiry until after either a live interview or conditional offer).

Troutman Sanders will continue to monitor related legislative developments concerning employment background screening and employee hiring.

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