SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday morning the state is suing the City of Huntington Beach, accusing it of violating the state's housing laws.
"Huntington Beach is Exhibit A in what's wrong with housing in the state of California," said Governor Newsom during a news conference via zoom. "They're Exhibit A in what NIMBYism looks like. They are not representing the people they claim to represent."
According to State Attorney General Rob Bonta, the Huntington Beach City Council has declined to reverse its February 21 action banning the processing of applications for Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) projects and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) projects, in violation of multiple state housing laws. The City also introduced but has not yet adopted, an ordinance purporting to exempt the City from the Builder's Remedy provision of the state’s Housing Accountability Act (HAA).
The City of Huntington Beach has reportedly argued the state shouldn't have the power to overrule local zoning decisions..
Governor Newsom said this lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer dollars, since California sued Huntington Beach back in 2019 over the same issue, and the city was forced to settle.
The mayor of Huntington Beach, Tony Strickland held a news conference Thursday afternoon. He announced the city is filing a lawsuit against California in federal court, challenging the state's housing laws imposing mandates on the City of Huntington Beach.
"I would encourage the governor to fix California before he comes down on Huntington Beach," said Mayor Strickland.
"I'm for housing, but I think our predecessors did a good job building our city into the suburban coastal community it is," he said. "We're 95 percent built out."
"If we could re-develop and have homes that fit with that suburban feel, I'm for that, but what I'm not for is these mandates," he added.