SECTIONS 35800-35803

35800.  This part shall be known and may be cited as the Holden Act.35801.  The Legislature finds and declares: (a) The subject of housing is of vital statewide importance to thehealth, safety, and welfare of the residents of the state. (b) A healthy housing market, where residents of this state have achoice of housing opportunities and where the housing consumer mayeffectually choose within a free market place, is necessary toachieve a healthy state economy. (c) The equities that California residents accumulate in familyhomes must be protected and conserved. (d) The Legislature has the responsibility to direct thediscontinuance of injurious practices. (e) With respect to certain geographic areas, financialinstitutions have sometimes denied financial assistance or approvedassistance on terms less favorable than are usually offered in othergeographic areas, regardless of the creditworthiness of the applicantor the condition of the real-property security offered, and thispractice has the following effects: (1) Contributes to the decline of available family housing in suchareas and is likely to continue to do so. (2) Limits the choice of housing opportunities and inhibits theoperation of a healthy housing market in such areas. (3) Leads to the abandonment of such areas. (4) Adversely affects the health, welfare, and safety of theresidents of this state. (5) Undermines the value of the equity of current owners ofproperty in such areas. (6) Inhibits the granting of amortized loans. (7) Perpetuates racially and economically segregated neighborhoodsand geographic areas. (f) The practice of denying mortgage loans or adversely varyingthe terms of such loans because of conditions, characteristics, ortrends in a neighborhood or geographic area that are unrelated to thecreditworthiness of the applicant or the value of the real propertysecurity offered is against public policy.35802.  The purposes of this part include the following: (a) To prevent discrimination in the provision of financialassistance for financing or refinancing the purchase, construction,rehabilitation, or improvement of housing accommodations because ofconditions, characteristics, or trends in the neighborhood orgeographic area surrounding the security property. (b) To encourage increased lending in neighborhoods or geographicareas in which conventional residential mortgage financing has beenunavailable. (c) To increase the availability of housing accommodations tocreditworthy persons. (d) To ensure the supply of decent, safe housing. (e) To prevent the abandonment and decay of neighborhoods andgeographic areas.35803.  This part shall be deemed an exercise of the police power ofthe state for the protection of the health, welfare, and peace ofthe people of this state.