15 CA Cities, Counties Get Final Housing Plan Warning

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Housing and Community Development delivered Notices of Violation last week to 15 cities and counties, giving them 30 days to fix their delinquent housing elements or risk legal action from Attorney General Rob Bonta's office. The targeted jurisdictions, scattered from the San Francisco Bay Area's Half Moon Bay to Southern California's Montclair and Central Valley strongholds like Kings and Merced counties, are more than two years behind on plans required since 1969 to accommodate housing for all income levels. State law mandates these eight-year housing elements, certified by HCD, to meet regional needs amid California's acute shortage where median home prices top $800,000 in many areas. The list includes Atwater, Avenal, California City, Corcoran, Escalon, Hanford, Lemoore, Oakdale, Patterson, Ridgecrest and Turlock, alongside the two counties. Seven of these fall in Central California, spotlighting agricultural hubs where farmland preservation often clashes with growth mandates. Half Moon Bay, reeling from 2023 floods that killed seven farmworkers and exposed overcrowded living conditions, faces added scrutiny in affluent San Mateo County where coastal views drive sky-high real estate. While 480 jurisdictions — 92% of California's total — have adopted compliant housing elements and zoning changes, these 15 represent the final holdouts, with 22 others slated to finalize soon. Noncompliance could trigger builder remedies allowing developers to bypass local zoning or fines up to $50,000 monthly. HCD emphasized the urgency as the state pushes to add 2.5 million homes by 2031 to ease rents averaging $2,800 statewide.