SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a sweeping final warning to 15 cities and counties across California for failing to comply with state housing laws, giving them 30 days to respond or face potential legal action, according to a statement released by the governor’s office.
The action, announced through the California Department of Housing and Community Development, marks an escalation in the state’s enforcement campaign targeting local governments that have not adopted a compliant housing element — the legally required plan outlining how jurisdictions will meet housing needs across income levels.
State officials said the jurisdictions receiving notices are more than two years behind schedule and remain more than 60 days away from securing a state-certified housing element, indicating both noncompliance and a lack of a viable near-term path to compliance.
“I’m disappointed on behalf of the state and the people of California that after years of effort, we still have communities that aren’t meeting the needs of their residents,” Newsom said. “There’s no carve-out here. No community gets a pass when it comes to addressing homelessness or creating more housing access.”
The governor emphasized that failure to respond adequately within the 30-day deadline could trigger referrals to the California attorney general for potential litigation, underscoring the administration’s increasingly aggressive posture toward local housing enforcement.
Under California law, every city and county must adopt a housing element demonstrating how it will accommodate its share of regional housing needs at all income levels. These plans must be submitted to HCD for review and certification, and jurisdictions are expected to implement zoning and policy changes to facilitate development.
According to the state, 92 percent of California communities have achieved housing element compliance in the current cycle, leaving a relatively small number of jurisdictions still out of compliance but increasingly under scrutiny.
Officials framed the enforcement push as part of a broader effort to address California’s long-standing housing shortage, which has contributed to rising housing costs, displacement pressures and growing homelessness across the state.
The Housing Accountability Unit, established in 2021 and expanded in 2024, has become a central enforcement mechanism. State officials said the unit has taken more than 1,200 accountability actions and helped “unlock” more than 12,000 housing units, including thousands of affordable units that had been stalled in local planning processes.
The state has also demonstrated a willingness to pursue legal action. HCD has filed lawsuits against multiple jurisdictions, including Anaheim, Elk Grove, La Cañada Flintridge, Norwalk and Huntington Beach, and has secured agreements or favorable rulings in each case, according to the governor’s office.
Beyond litigation, jurisdictions that remain out of compliance face a range of consequences, including potential fines, loss of state grant funding and exposure to the so-called “builder’s remedy.”
The builder’s remedy provision significantly limits local control by allowing developers to bypass local zoning restrictions if their projects include a required percentage of affordable housing units, effectively shifting decision-making authority away from local governments that fail to meet state obligations.
State officials have increasingly pointed to the builder’s remedy as both a penalty for noncompliance and a tool to accelerate housing production in jurisdictions that have resisted or delayed planning requirements.
The current enforcement action targets jurisdictions that the state says have not demonstrated a meaningful commitment to compliance despite ongoing technical assistance from HCD.
Officials indicated that additional jurisdictions could face similar action if they fall behind. The state noted that other cities and counties currently working toward compliance are expected to finalize their housing elements within the next 60 days, but warned that failure to do so could result in Notices of Violation and potential legal consequences.
The governor’s office characterized the move as part of a “final push” to bring all jurisdictions into compliance, signaling a shift from technical assistance toward enforcement after years of voluntary compliance efforts.
The administration has also linked housing enforcement to broader policy goals, including efforts to address homelessness, expand access to behavioral health services and increase the overall supply of affordable housing statewide.
Newsom has made housing and homelessness central priorities of his administration, advancing policies aimed at streamlining development, reforming regulatory barriers and increasing accountability for local governments that fail to meet state mandates.
The governor has also taken steps to expand the state’s role in addressing encampments and providing services, including the creation of new programs and funding streams intended to connect individuals with housing and support.
The latest warning reflects growing frustration within the administration over what it has described as persistent local resistance, delays and, in some cases, outright defiance of state housing law.
At the same time, the enforcement effort underscores the state’s evolving approach, moving beyond planning requirements toward active oversight and intervention when local jurisdictions fail to comply.
As the 30-day deadline approaches, the affected jurisdictions face a narrowing window to demonstrate progress or risk becoming the next targets of state litigation in an increasingly assertive campaign to address California’s housing crisis.
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And without even reading this, I already know that not one of those cities is being required to expand their footprint onto farmland.
Though it’s somewhat surprising to see some places on there that have no qualms about doing so (and are already among the least-expensive housing markets in the entire state). Probably why they didn’t even bother to submit housing elements at all.
“California City”? What a joke, if you know anything about that place.
Ron has repeatedly asserted that the RHNA / housing element process is fake, but this shows that the vast majority of locales have approved Housing Elements and thus have at least created on a paper a plan for meeting their current RHNA requirements. That’s only step one but it shows that the process is actually – and again contrary to Ron’s assertions – working.
I’m not sure we’re in disagreement, here. Yes – the state is “requiring” cities and counties to submit fake plans.
Under threat of a “builder’s remedy” in California City, I guess. What a joke – you’d have to PAY a developer to do so there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_City,_California
We could run through a few other places on your list, if you’d like.
Seems like your prison closures are also having an impact.
You’re not sure we’re in disagreement as to whether the plans are fake?
Pretty sure that we are in agreement, as is California YIMBY.
https://cities.fairhousingelements.org/
(It’s kind of refreshing to see everyone in agreement and acknowledging reality for a change.)
And that’s just for THIS round of “requirements” – let alone the next round.
Hey – maybe by the time that the current round ends, California City and some of the others on this list will have submitted their own fake plan for the current round.
But if they (and just about every other city/county in the state) don’t get on the ball pretty soon, the governor is going to have to become a time traveler in order to ensure compliance with previous rounds.
Funny
I’m sure all those places are quaking in their boots in fear. To the degree places have boots to quake in.
And almost all these places are low income San Joaquin Valley towns that I doubt need housing.
And California City, really? Look that place up. Better yet, look at it in Satellite images. It was (literally) a real estate scam. Still is. And very round!