Governor Gavin Newsom called out Surf City leaders today as he signed new laws aimed at expanding housing development in California, dubbing them “Exhibit A” for cities failing to do their part and vowing they’d soon face new penalties.
“That is a city that’s performative in terms of their approach to addressing the crisis of affordability, not just in their city but in our state,” Newsom said at a press conference on Thursday. “For those that turn their back on this crisis, we’re turning up the heat.”
That heat is a package of new legislation Newsom signed on Thursday, with over two dozen new laws aimed at increasing penalties for cities that fight against state housing mandates and encourage housing development across California.
“They abuse the process, they abuse the law, and now we will enforce aggressive fines with the law I will be signing today,” Newsom said. “Enough is enough, this is serious stuff and it requires serious people.”
Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates fired back at Newsom in a Thursday interview, saying if the state managed its homeless spending effectively it would’ve already fixed the problem without having to fight Surf City.
“Their entire narrative is false and Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are Exhibit A of everything wrong in California,” Gates said. “On one hand they are mocking Huntington Beach, but on the other hand they’ve completely lost track of $24 billion attributed to fighting homelessness.”
Gates referred to a state audit from last April, which found that state leaders didn’t do a good job of tracking how effectively over $24 billion aimed at combating homelessness was spent.
The new laws came after Huntington Beach and Newsom spent nearly two years suing each other over a series of issues, with the biggest focus on housing after the city refused to adopt a housing zoning plan.
While Surf City has not officially lost any of the cases, judges have ruled against them in almost every case, with city officials currently appealing a decision that will require them to pass a new housing plan.
Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said the city and others like it need to face more consequences for going against state laws.
“There needs to be accountability starting and attaching at the point of the violation,” Bonta said at the same press conference.
One of the new laws that Bonta endorsed and Newsom signed was dubbed SB 1037, authored by state Senator Scott Wiener, mandating that states pay anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per month that they’re out of compliance with state housing law.
The law also states that it’s up to the Attorney General to try and enforce those fines, noting it could only be used against cities opposing laws that were “arbitrary, capricious, or entirely lacking in evidentiary support.”
Another of the new laws clarifies rules around builder’s remedy, a state law that lets developers bypass the lionshare of local zoning laws if that city does not have a state approved housing plan.
Gates said any future fights would come in court, and said despite the city’s losses he’s confident they’ll ultimately win in appeals court.
“It’s pretty clear at this point it’s not about affordability,” Gates said. “It’s about punishing Huntington Beach and taking punitive action.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Huntington Beach had lost its lawsuit. While the city did lose at the district court level, they are currently appealing the decision.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.
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