![]() Last year, Newsom briefly withheld $1 billion in funding from local governments because he was unhappy with their plans to reduce homelessness. Newsom, a Democrat with potential presidential aspirations, and Bonta - a potential candidate for governor in 2026 - have been aggressively monitoring local enforcement of state housing laws. But the state only averages about 125,000 new homes per year, almost two-thirds shy of what’s needed. California, the nation’s most populous state, needs to build 2.5 million homes by 2030 to keep up with demand, according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The lawsuit escalates a conflict between the state and local governments over how many housing projects cities should approve, and how fast they should build them. Gavin Newsom’s administration jointly sued the Elk Grove, arguing city officials broke the law by denying the project and accusing them of discriminating against low income families. Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. But the homeless project has stalled as officials in the growing suburb of Sacramento argued it was not eligible to be fast-tracked under a 2017 state housing law. City officials approved the market rate project. The other project was for people who were homeless. One project was for people who could afford to purchase homes at the market rate in a state with some of the most expensive home prices in the nation. (AP) - When developers in the California city of Elk Grove pitched two new housing projects last year, the proposals appeared to have much in common: Both would build new housing in a quaint section of the city affectionately known as “Old Town” for its attractive stretch of historic buildings. State housing officials first notified Elk Grove last July that its denial of streamlined approval violated SB35, and the city responded by citing its zoning standards, Bonta’s office said.SACRAMENTO, Calif. In 2019 Newsom’s administration accused Huntington Beach of violating state law on approval of needed low-income housing, a suit the city settled by revising its housing plan.īonta’s office described the Oak Rose Apartments as a “supportive housing project” that would provide “permanent housing for individuals and families who previously experienced homelessness, or are at risk of homelessness, as well as off- or on-site services to assist the residents in maintaining housing, improving their health status, and maximizing their ability to live and work in the community.” In March, the state sued the Orange County community of Huntington Beach over the City Council’s refusal to allow homeowners to build new units on their property. “Elk Grove has a strong track record for supporting affordable housing projects and continues to engage in good faith discussions with the Oak Rose Apartments applicant in hopes of reaching a mutually agreeable solution,” Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said in a statement. They said more than 1,100 affordable-housing units are under construction in the city of 180,000 south of Sacramento. Gavin Newsom said that when local governments “repeatedly fail to uphold their obligations and blatantly look for ways to skirt state law, we will use every tool available, including legal actions to ensure that Californians have access to needed housing.”Įlk Grove officials denied violating the law and said they had not reached a final decision on Oak Rose, but only rejected rapid approval under SB35 because of zoning standards. He said the suit “sends a strong message to local governments: If you violate fair housing laws, we will hold you to account.” “California has critically important laws designed to combat housing discrimination and increase affordable housing opportunities,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement accompanying the suit, which was filed in Sacramento County Superior Court. But lawyers for the state said those zoning standards were discretionary and had been ignored by the city when it approved the market-rate Railroad Courtyards project, which had residential units on the ground floor. In denying streamlined approval last July of the proposed Oak Rose Apartments in Elk Grove’s Old Town area, city officials said it conflicted with their zoning rules that required ground-floor space to be reserved for commercial uses such as restaurants and retail stores.
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