Busy Week

Last week I took a bye; this week I’ll show you why.

What Does It Mean to Be “Prohousing”?

Though our main mission is suing cities that block housing, we think the future is bright for cities that embrace it. One lesser-noticed component of housing-element law is the prohousing designation program, in which HCD has statutory authority to set the criteria by which cities are given bonus points for certain grant programs. As of December 15, 2022, the cities of Citrus Heights, Fontana, Oakland, Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, and West Sacramento have been awarded this honor.

Anyone priced out today can tell you we need dramatic change to fix the housing crisis. HCD is considering changes to the prohousing designation program, and we think it’s a great opportunity to entice prohousing cities to lead the way. See our letter below.

 An “Alternative to Litigation” for the Builder’s Remedy

As we’ve written, dozens of Bay Area cities will be subject to the builder’s remedy starting in February. Last week, YIMBY Law worked with Californians for Homeownership and the California Housing Defense Fund (until recently CaRLA, of CaRLA v. San Mateo fame) to send demand letters out to these cities.

One way not to get sued is to agree that you’re subject to the law. Read our letter to Palo Alto—we sent the same letter everywhere—below.

Huntington Beach, You Can’t Exempt Yourself From state law!

I’m finishing up this post as the City Council of Huntington Beach is authorizing its city attorney to get Big Mad about the builder’s remedy. 13,000 new homes is too much, they say, and they want the State to “prove” that there’s a housing shortage. (Hey, Huntington Beach: I got priced out of Phoenix because of coastal California’s housing shenanigans. Now I live in a succession of sheds and spare bedrooms and have to move every month, and I’m Big Mad too. Go ahead, I’ll wait. I’ll still be here when you’re ready to be sued.)

Anyway, Huntington Beach can’t just declare itself immune from the law. I’m tired of thinking about this, so here’s the letter I wrote. Enjoy: