Gov. Newsom takes shots at LA, Patterson, others

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s often discussed Press Office X handle has taken an appropriately aggressive tone in the last week as cities around the state continue to ignore state housing law.  The account referenced an ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ position from the City of Los Angeles and went further in another posted video telling the City of Los Angeles “if you don’t build, we won’t fund.'“ We’re thankful for the Governor’s leadership on continuing to push cities to build more housing.

The Governor also sent a warning to15 cities to stop violating state housing law. The communities that received the notice remain out of compliance as they are more than two years behind schedule and do not have a path towards adhering to the state law within 60 days. These jurisdictions have 30 days to respond to this Notice of Violation before the HCD takes further legal action, which can include a referral to the Attorney General and potential lawsuits. Additionally, any of the cities and counties that are currently working towards compliance may also face Notices of Violation if they fail to complete the required steps within the next 60 days.  

One city in particular caught our attention because of a project from HAC members.

Patterson, CA has been in the midst of a 15-year campaign to stymie the approval of 719 new homes at Keystone Ranch. The city has had impact fees invalidated as the result of a lawsuit brought by the Building Industry Association (BIA) and Keystone.  Due to their continued opposition, Patterson is closing in on almost $3 million in legal fees trying to avoid state housing law. Our friends at YIMBY Law joined an amicus brief in support of the project. So where does this end?

The city now sits on the Governor's noncompliance list, faces imminent referral to the Attorney General, and is looking at potentially six-figure monthly fines billed directly to taxpayers. The question is: how does a city of just 25,000 people keep ending up at the center of controversy?

The current administration and Attorney General have made it clear that the era of ‘No’ is over. We must build more housing and each city must do their fair share.