By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California court has rejected the City of Huntington Beach’s latest legal challenge to state enforcement of housing law, marking another courtroom defeat for the city in its ongoing dispute with the state over compliance with housing planning requirements.
According to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, the ruling rejects Huntington Beach’s lawsuit against the state over its authority to enforce California housing laws and allows the state to seek recovery of attorneys’ fees incurred while defending against the city’s complaint.
The decision adds to a series of legal setbacks for Huntington Beach since 2023 as state officials continue efforts to compel the city to adopt a housing plan that complies with state law.
“In ruling after ruling, the City of Huntington Beach has lost, but the hapless leaders there continue to miss the message: It’s time to do your job, create the housing your community needs, and stop wasting taxpayer dollars on defending your ridiculous NIMBY agenda,” Newsom said. “We’re literally running out of new ways to tell you that you’ve lost.”
The Governor’s Office said Huntington Beach sued the state in an effort to avoid complying with its legal obligations under California housing law. The court ruled against the city, finding in favor of the state’s authority to enforce those requirements.
The latest decision follows litigation that began in March 2023, when the state sued Huntington Beach for failing to update its housing element as required by state law. The housing element is a component of every local government’s general plan and identifies how a jurisdiction will accommodate its assigned share of future housing needs.
According to the Governor’s Office, a trial court ruled last year that Huntington Beach had violated state housing law but did not impose a 120-day deadline for the city to bring its housing element into compliance. The court also declined to impose sanctions limiting the city’s authority over permitting and development until it adopted a compliant housing plan.
State officials have continued pursuing enforcement actions against the city.
The Governor’s Office noted that the state has secured multiple rulings against Huntington Beach, including an order from California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal directing the city to remedy its violations of state housing law.
In May, a Superior Court judge also ordered Huntington Beach to pay financial penalties for failing to plan for housing across all income levels as required under state law, according to the administration.
State officials said Huntington Beach’s deadline to adopt a compliant housing element was Oct. 15, 2021. Since then, they argue, the city has devoted substantial time and resources to litigation rather than updating its housing plan.
The Governor’s Office said that during the nearly five years since the deadline passed, the city could have focused on expanding housing opportunities for residents instead of continuing its legal challenges.
The ruling comes as California continues broader efforts to enforce state housing law through the Housing Accountability Unit within the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
According to the Governor’s Office, Newsom established the Housing Accountability Unit to ensure cities and counties meet their statutory obligations to plan for and permit their share of needed housing.
The administration reported that enforcement actions and compliance efforts by the unit have supported development of 13,451 housing units, including more than 3,852 affordable homes.
In 2024, the unit’s responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of local compliance with state laws governing housing for people experiencing homelessness.
The administration also highlighted its broader housing and homelessness agenda, which includes streamlining housing construction, funding shelters and affordable housing, strengthening enforcement of housing laws, implementing voter-approved Proposition 1 to expand behavioral health treatment, updating conservatorship laws, and establishing the CARE Court system.
The Governor’s Office said California also continues statewide efforts to address homeless encampments while connecting people to housing and services.
According to the administration, California experienced a 9.5% decline in unsheltered homelessness last year, the first such decrease in more than 15 years, even as homelessness continued to rise nationally. State officials cited that decline as evidence that the administration’s housing and homelessness policies are beginning to produce measurable results.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
