After an uproar of public criticism, city officials have abandoned a controversial plan that would have allowed landlords to kick out anyone who's been arrested -- even without a conviction.

"It was a civil rights disaster waiting to happen," said Bob Brownstein of Working Partnerships USA, a group that opposed the proposal. "The original idea was just dreadful, and would have led to a lot of problems for the city."

The plan from Councilmen Johnny Khamis and Tam Nguyen, called the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program, would have allowed landlords to require tenants to sign a lease addendum agreeing to eviction if they're involved in certain criminal activity. The voluntary program, launched in 1992 in Arizona, has been used in 2,000 other cities. Under the plan, the San Jose Police Department would supply landlords with the names of people arrested for crimes committed "on or near" the property.

Khamis said the program successfully reduced crime by 30 to 50 percent in other cities. But critics said the terms for eviction were too broad -- the proposal didn't define if petty crimes would be excluded, how to deal with crimes committed by guests or family members of the tenant and where the crime would have had to occur.