Press Release: YIMBY Law prevails in third lawsuit against City of Los Angeles: affordable homes to be approved in single-family-only neighborhoods

Los Angeles, CA— A Superior Court Judge has ruled in favor of YIMBY Law in its lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles defending 190 affordable homes on Wilbur Ave in Northridge. This marks the third of three Executive Directive 1 (ED1) proposals that YIMBY Law defended in California courts in 2024. The proposals fall under Mayor Karen Bass’ original form ED1 which streamlines 100% affordable housing proposals. The court validated YIMBY Law’s interpretation of the interaction between California state law and ED1. The proposal will now return to the entitlement process with the judge's instruction that LA must process this proposal according to the original form of ED1, which allows multifamily housing in single-family-only zones.

“Not only will this and other proposals like it be able to move forward, ED1 and the result of these cases also provide a promising model for other localities that want to increase affordable housing in wealthy neighborhoods—many of which don’t require a public subsidy,” said Jae Garner, Communications Director at YIMBY Law. 

ED1 provides a streamlined approval process for 100% affordable housing proposals, making them quicker and more financially feasible to build. In its original form, which YIMBY Law defended in its three lawsuits against Los Angeles, ED1 allowed these homes to be proposed in single-family-only neighborhoods. This makes even more ambitious proposals possible due to the exclusive nature of these high-resource areas. It allows proposals to be built without the need for public subsidies and provides opportunities for low- and middle-income families to move into neighborhoods they otherwise would not have access to.

If replicated, high-opportunity localities across the country could boost their affordable housing production significantly. When Mayor Bass enacted ED1, Los Angeles saw more affordable housing proposals in just over a year than they saw in 2020, 2021 and 2022 combined according to data from the city’s planning department. 

“In addition to seeing more affordable homes proposed overall since ED1 was signed, the distribution of those homes has been significantly more equitable,” said Rafa Sonnenfeld, Senior Manager for YIMBY Law. “Affordable homes in single-family-only neighborhoods means more socioeconomic diversity and more equity in our most exclusive neighborhoods.”

YIMBY Law will continue to monitor city behavior and step in where necessary to defend desperately needed homes in Los Angeles and across the country. The organization looks forward to holding cities accountable to allowing homes for all.

“ED1 is a promising model that we would love to see applied in high-opportunity communities across the country,” said Sonja Trauss, Executive Director of YIMBY Law. “Many volunteers for YIMBY Action chapters have already asked how they might replicate the policy in their communities and we’re happy to facilitate the education needed to make it happen.”

Press Release: YIMBY Law Launches Housing Element Dashboard to Track Compliance and Housing Production

San Francisco, CA— YIMBY Law has launched a dashboard that tracks Housing Element compliance and the implementation process. This dashboard will provide useful information for advocates, researchers, journalists, and pro-housing organizations who are tracking cities and counties as they implement their housing plans. The dashboard compiles multiple data sources from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as well as the US census. It will allow community members to hold their local governments accountable to meeting their plans and encourage them to permit the minimum number of homes required to accommodate community needs.

“We’re thrilled to launch this tool so anyone can help enforce fair housing plans across the state,” said Jack Farrell, Research Attorney at YIMBY Law. “Cities will no longer be able to get away with not implementing their Housing Elements. Not with so many of us paying attention.”

Housing Elements are plans that every local jurisdiction in California is responsible for making every eight years. These plans must meet their anticipated housing needs based on projected population growth, economic opportunity, and other community factors. These plans must include homes for people and families at every income level, with the number for each income level depending on the community’s minimum need. 

YIMBY Law and YIMBY Action—with the support of several additional pro-housing nonprofits—launched the Campaign for Fair Housing Elements in 2021 to ensure cities and counties across the state create and implement compliant plans that allow for millions of new homes. Since then, YIMBY Law has recruited and supported over 600 watchdogs, filed five Housing Element lawsuits, and sent hundreds of letters informing cities of law violations.

Previously, cities have created unrealistic plans on paper that do not result in new homes. Housing advocates had no resources to track these plans and had to search hundreds of pages of planning documents to hold their cities to account. The dashboard will highlight which cities are falling short and empower advocates to hold them accountable to creating and implementing fair Housing Elements.

Now that all local jurisdictions are required to have approved housing plans in place, the Campaign is launching the dashboard to enable watchdogs, community members, and other stakeholders to monitor key decisions and help identify when localities fall out of compliance. It will also make it easier for the Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and YIMBY Law to hold cities accountable when they ignore the law.

YIMBY Law will continue to monitor city and county behavior with the support of dedicated watchdogs and community members to ultimately ensure that the Housing Element process results in hundreds of thousands more homes across the state.
“For decades, exclusionary cities have gotten away with not building housing for anyone other than the wealthy, but recent improvements in Housing Element law and the presence of dedicated watchdogs have changed that,” said Sonja Trauss, Executive Director of YIMBY Law. “With the dashboard, it will be even easier to make sure cities follow through to actually allow homes for people at all income levels.”

YIMBY Law Prevails in Defending Homes for Unhoused People in Millbrae, CA

San Francisco, CA— YIMBY Law and the County of San Mateo have prevailed in their defense of a plan to purchase a La Quinta Inn & Suites with the intent to convert it into affordable homes for unhoused seniors and families. The County will now be allowed to continue buying the hotel and planning homes for dozens of currently unhoused county residents.

“We’re thrilled to see San Mateo County be allowed to continue its plan,” said Sonja Trauss, Executive Director at YIMBY Law. “Everyone deserves a safe, affordable home, and this project will make that a reality for dozens more people in the county.”

On September 12, 2023, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved the plan to purchase and convert a La Quinta Inn and Suites into affordable housing for unhoused seniors and families. The City of Millbrae sued to block the plan on November 13, 2023. On January 8th, 2024, YIMBY Law answered the suit in defense of the County’s plan.

The City argued that Article 34 of the California Constitution—which passed in 1950 and requires local governments to put projects up for a community vote before developing, buying, or funding “low-rent housing”—should apply. This is due to the City speculating that the County planned to use Project Homekey funding to create the homes.

The court ruled that the City’s case was not ripe—meaning the case was not ready for litigation because it relies on future events that may not occur as anticipated, or may not occur at all—and therefore it could not advise on the subject. The court’s decision outlined that the County had not yet submitted an application for the funding needed to convert the hotel and allow residents to rent the homes. Due to the court’s decision, the County’s purchase of the La Quinta Inn & Suites may continue. Article 34 will not prevent the project from moving forward at this time, as the project does not currently require voter approval.

YIMBY Law will continue to monitor the City of Millbrae’s behavior regarding this project to ensure homes can be created for unhoused seniors and families in San Mateo County. YIMBY Law applauds the County of San Mateo for moving forward with the project and defending it in court.
“This building will benefit the community much more as housing than as a hotel,” said Leora Tanjuatco Ross, California Director at YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law. “Article 34 is a racist scar on our State Constitution and it should not get in the way of the development of these much-needed homes.”