Gavin Newsom Warns California Cities To Prepare for More Housing—or Else

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning some cities in his state that they need to comply with state laws mandating more housing development, or they could face action from the attorney general.

Newsom said 15 jurisdictions—Kings County and Merced County, plus several smaller cities mostly under 50,000 people like Half Moon Bay and Oakdale—have 30 days to respond before the state takes further action.

California has determined all of them are more than two years behind schedule in adopting an element. None has a clear path to compliance in the next 60 days. Newsom said that indicates they don't plan to comply with the state law.

"I’m disappointed on behalf of the state and the people of California that after years of effort, we still have communities that aren’t meeting the needs of their residents," Newsom said in a statement. "There’s no carve-out here. No community gets a pass when it comes to addressing homelessness or creating more housing access."

What California law says about housing

California law requires all cities to adopt a "housing element," or a plan to meet housing needs "at all income levels." These elements also require plans that don't constrain housing development.

The state-by-state housing affordability report card from Realtor.com® gives California an F. Newsom has pressed reforms to allow building more housing in the state, especially more dense housing in areas that have previously resisted it.

The state began cracking down on cities that failed to adopt housing elements in 2021. About 480 jurisdictions in the state have since adopted housing elements, and an additional 22 will finalize theirs within 60 days.

But the state has taken legal action against several cities that refused to do so, including Anaheim, Flintridge, and Huntington Beach. The latter city recently lost its appeal in California Superior Court.

Newsom said the state would "keep pushing forward by enforcing the law, fighting NIMBY actions, and holding local governments accountable."

The cities of Atwater, Avenal, California City, Corcoran, Escalon, Hanford, Lemoore, Montclair, Patterson, Ridgecrest, and Turlock also received warnings.