Creation of Pima County Outreach Program to amend Home Deed Covenants Discussion/Direction/Action: Proposal to create an outreach and education program on the issue of removing racist language from the home deed covenants (CCRs) of Pima County residents, primarily affecting those whose homes were built before 1948. The U.S. Supreme Court declared these racist deed covenants to be unconstitutional in 1948, and they were explicitly banned by the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. Although unenforceable, the racist language remains in thousands of local home deeds and many of these deed holders are rightfully offended. There is a process to remove racist covenants in the Pima County Recorder's Office, but it is nuanced and not well known. We propose the creation of a Pima County Outreach Program, combined with a series of informational clinics that could enlist University of Arizona experts and local legal non-profits, to assist affected deed holders, and affected homeowner and neighborhood associations, in removing such offensive deed language. (District 5)

Committee

Board of Supervisors

Requested by

Board of Supervisors

Introduced

March 13, 2025

On agenda

March 18, 2025

Passed

March 18, 2025

Where it was heard

Board of Supervisors Mar 18, 2025 staff direction

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