Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta expressed satisfaction after a court ruling mandated that La Cañada Flintridge adhere to state housing laws to advance an affordable housing project. The court decision was based on the city's failure to have a compliant housing element in place when the project was proposed.

Attorney General Bonta stated, "We are pleased that the court agrees with us that La Cañada Flintridge must follow state housing laws to facilitate affordable housing and alleviate our housing crisis."

The court's ruling clarified that cities cannot self-certify their housing elements as compliant and must provide housing project applicants with a comprehensive list of any missing information in their applications. Additionally, the ruling addressed the intersection of the Housing Accountability Act with a local agency's environmental review obligations under the California Environmental Quality Act.

In December 2023, Attorney General Bonta and the California Department of Housing and Community Development filed a request to intervene in the case of Cal. Housing Defense Fund v. City of La Cañada Flintridge. They aimed to reverse the city's denial of a mixed-use affordable housing project that would introduce 80 mixed-income residential units, 14 hotel units, and 7,791 square feet of office space to the community.

The decision by the court signifies a significant step towards enforcing housing laws in California and promoting the development of affordable housing to address the ongoing housing crisis in the state.