This

article governs the procedure for the prevention and elimination of discrimination in housing made unlawful pursuant to

Article 2 (commencing with

Section 12955) of

Chapter 6. (

a) Any person claiming to be aggrieved by an alleged violation of

Section 12955, 12955.1, or 12955.7 may file with the department a verified complaint in writing that shall state the name and address of the person alleged to have committed the violation complained of, and that shall set forth the particulars of the alleged violation and contain any other information required by the department. The filing of a complaint and pursuit of conciliation or remedy under this part shall not prejudice the complainant’s right to pursue effective judicial relief under other applicable laws, but if a civil action has been filed under

Section of the Civil Code, the department shall terminate proceedings upon notification of the entry of final judgment unless the judgment is a dismissal entered at the complainant’s request. (

b) The Attorney General or the director may, in a like manner, make, sign, and file complaints citing practices that appear to violate the purpose of this part or any specific provisions of this part relating to housing discrimination. No complaint may be filed after the expiration of one year from the date upon which the alleged violation occurred or terminated. (

c) The department may thereupon proceed upon the complaint in the same manner and with the same powers as provided in this

part in the case of an unlawful practice, except that where the provisions of this

article provide greater rights and remedies to an aggrieved person than the provisions of

Article 1 (commencing with

Section 12960), the provisions of this

article shall prevail. (

d) Upon the filing of a complaint, the department shall serve notice upon the complainant of the time limits, rights of the parties, and choice of forums provided for under the law. (

e) The department shall commence proceedings with respect to a complaint within days of filing of the complaint. (

f) An investigation of allegations contained in any complaint filed with the department shall be completed within days after receipt of the complaint, unless it is impracticable to do so. If the investigation is not completed within days, the complainant and respondent shall be notified, in writing, of the department’s reasons for not doing so. (

g) Upon the conclusion of each investigation, the department shall prepare a final investigative report containing all of the following:

(1) The names of any witnesses and the dates of any contacts with those witnesses.

(2) A

summary of the dates of any correspondence or other contacts with the aggrieved persons or the respondent.

(3) A

summary of witness statements.

(4) Answers to interrogatories.

(5) A

summary description of other pertinent records. A final investigative report may be amended if additional evidence is later discovered. (

h) If a civil action is not brought by the department within days after the filing of a complaint, or if the department earlier determines that no civil action will be brought, the department shall promptly notify the person claiming to be aggrieved. This notice shall, in any event, be issued no more than days after the date of the determination or days after the date of the expiration of the 100-day period, whichever date first occurs. The notice shall indicate that the person claiming to be aggrieved may bring a civil action under this part against the person named in the verified complaint within the time period specified in

Section 12989.1. The notice shall also indicate, unless the department has determined that no civil action will be brought, that the person claiming to be aggrieved has the option of continuing to seek redress for the alleged discrimination through the procedures of the department if the person does not desire to file a civil action. The superior courts of the State of California shall have jurisdiction of these actions, and the aggrieved person may file in these courts.

The action may be brought in any county in the state in which the violation is alleged to have been committed, or in the county in which the records relevant to the alleged violation are maintained and administered, but if the defendant is not found within that county, the action may be brought within the county of the defendant’s residence or principal office. A copy of any complaint filed pursuant to this part shall be served on the principal offices of the department. The remedy for failure to send a copy of a complaint is an order to do so.

In a civil action brought under this section, the court, in its discretion, may award to the prevailing party reasonable attorney’s fees. (

i) All agreements reached in settlement of any housing discrimination complaint filed pursuant to this

section shall be made public, unless otherwise agreed by the complainant and respondent, and the department determines that the disclosure is not required to further the purposes of the act. (

j) All agreements reached in settlement of any housing discrimination complaint filed pursuant to this

section shall be agreements between the respondent and complainant, and shall be subject to approval by the department.