The attorney general shall cooperate with federal fair housing agencies and, as appropriate, may provide technical and other assistance to federal, state, local and other public or private entities that are formulating or operating programs to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. Nothing in this article shall be interpreted as prohibiting a political subdivision of this state from administering fair housing projects or cities or towns with a population of three hundred fifty thousand or more persons according to the 1990 United States decennial census from adopting a fair housing ordinance.