Newsom continues crackdown on cities over housing plan requirements. 'No city gets a pass,' governor says
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.
Set us as preferred California Gov.Gavin Newsom‘s administration has threatened five new California cities with legal repercussions for failing to comply with required housing plans as part of the governor’s ongoing efforts to ensure that local municipalities meet obligations to increase affordable housing across the state.
The administration’s latest legal filings accuse Calexico, Costa Mesa, Half Moon Bay, Ridgecrest and Turlock of missing benchmarks for the latest round of mandated housing planning, as outlined by the state’s landmark housing supply law, formally known as the “housing element.”The law, which has been in place since 1969, requires cities and counties every eight years to develop plans to add housing based on a specific allocation that takes into account the region’s needs.It’s a massive undertaking that is aimed at easing California’s ongoing housing crisis but has routinely drawn criticism for undermining local autonomy, requiring difficult parameters — which often include zoning changes — and not always translating to the scale of needed housing.
But given the state’s growing need, and now armed with new law that allows more serious fines for municipalities that fail to comply, Newsom’s administration has doubled down on the housing element.“California can’t solve the housing crisis while some cities sit on their hands and dare us to do something about it,” Newsom said in a statement about this latest legal action.
“These five jurisdictions had every chance to follow the law and plan for their fair share of housing....
Housing law applies statewide, and no city gets a pass.”But three of the cities facing the new legal repercussions say they are actively working to complete the lengthy plans, despite a slow process.Huntington Beach, meanwhile, has been more defiant, r...