Sacramento, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state has entered into a stipulated judgment with the City of La Habra Heights, putting the city on an expedited timeline to submit a compliant housing element to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
The new housing plan must create 244 housing units, including at least 164 that are affordable to low- or very-low-income households.
“No more excuses — every community has a responsibility to create housing and to help reduce homelessness. I am pleased that La Habra Heights has come to the table and agreed to meet their housing goals for a community that desperately needs more affordable homes,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.
“The City of La Habra Heights has done the right thing. Instead of continuing to skirt California’s housing laws, it will finally be complying with its legal obligation to plan for 244 housing units,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “My office will not let up: no matter the size of the city or county, we will not rest until every local government in California plans for the future and does its part to tackle our housing crisis.”
The City of La Habra Heights is designated as a high opportunity jurisdiction by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Opportunity Area 2024 map, indicating access to good schools, less pollution, and jobs—all factors that impact long-term success for families with children. However, the city currently has only single-family homes, with no multifamily housing and zero affordable units.
The deadline for the City of La Habra Heights to adopt a compliant housing element was October 2021.
After repeated attempts to assist the city to come into compliance, HCD’s Housing Accountability Unit—launched by Governor Newsom in 2021—issued a Notice of Violation on March 19, 2024. HCD then worked with the Attorney General’s Office to reach today’s agreement with La Habra Heights.
Despite the agreement, until La Habra Heights fulfills its obligations under the agreement, the city remains subject to the “Builder’s Remedy” and cannot refuse to permit certain affordable housing projects. The city also remains ineligible to receive key state housing and homelessness funds.
HCD, through the Attorney General’s Office, has now entered into five agreements over housing element compliance. The previous four were San Bernardino, Coronado, Malibu, and Fullerton.
“This latest agreement is a key example of why it is so important that every city, big and small, is held accountable for doing its fair share to address the statewide housing need,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “When La Habra Heights adopts a compliant housing element, it will—for the first time ever—make land available for multifamily and affordable housing, creating a path to opportunity for more families in this high-resource community.”
All state and local public agencies must take deliberate action to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing—combating disparities resulting from past patterns of segregation. Increasing supply of multifamily housing expands access to fair housing for lower-income and historically disadvantaged groups, in turn fostering more inclusive communities.
