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California has accused one of its own cities of blocking the construction of a sufficient number of affordable housing by Friday's trial, which reveals an aggressive approach by the new governor, Gavin Newsom, to the recent crisis. housing.
Huntington Beach, an upscale coastal city outside of Los Angeles, "is blocking affordable housing and refusing to meet regional housing needs," according to an announcement from the Newsom office, a Democrat elected in November [19659003] The first trial of its kind aims to require the city that it modify its housing plan in order to allow the construction of a larger number of housing accessible to people of all income levels.
Michael Gates, Huntington Beach City attorney, said in an email telling him that the city "is in fact complying with all applicable housing and zoning laws of the city." State, "he said. in order to respond to the pursuit. "
The median home price in California rose 6% in 2018 over the previous year to reach $ 570,010, according to the California Association of Realtors." According to the National Association of Realtors, the national median is $ 259,100.
Homeownership in this state is at its lowest level since the Second World War, and nearly a third of California renters are now paying a rent higher than Half of their incomes Experts estimate that more than a third of rent and public service revenues are unaffordable
Some local communities, especially along the coast, have imposed strict restrictions on development. Residential land use survey conducted by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California at Berkeley revealed that about 10% of the jurisdictions in the & # 39; State had made their zoning codes more restrictive over the past five years, including Huntington Beach. [19659002] The average rent at the end of 2018 was $ 2,013 in Huntington Beach, compared to a national average of $ 1,353, according to a data firm.
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The governor's office stated that since 2015 the city has not complied with a law that obliges localities to adopt plans to provide housing that is adapted to the growth of employment and the population.
Lawyers have long claimed that cities in California have submitted such plans but are not doing enough to execute them, helping to fuel the state housing crisis. "They feel that there is no consequence," said Cesar Covarrubias, executive director of the Kennedy Commission, a nonprofit housing group that sued Huntington Beach in 2015.
advocates urged Sacramento politicians to take stronger action to enforce rights. Mr Newsom made it on Friday with the first resort to a 2018 law allowing him to refer such cases to the state's attorney general. David Garcia, Director of Policy at Terner Center.
Huntington Beach, with a population of about 201,000, is about 40 miles to the south. from Los Angeles in Orange County. In 2015, the Kennedy Commission sued the city after authorities redeveloped a housing plan and reduced the number of affordable high-density units planned.
A court of appeal ruled in favor of the city, but Huntington Beach has not yet passed a new decision. plan to comply with state law, alleged the state.
Writing to Alejandro Lazo at [email protected] and Nour Malas at [email protected]
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