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The city argued in court that it was working to amend its housing element and that the Kennedy <br />Commission’s lawsuit was “unnecessary and would soon be moot.” But a proposed plan was <br />unanimously rejected by the City Council in 2016. <br />Councilman Erik Peterson said at the time that the city should prepare to fight the state regarding <br />the mandated amount of low-income housing in the city. <br />The legal battle with the Kennedy Commission is continuing, though a state appeals court ruled <br />in favor of the city in 2017 because Huntington is a charter city, exempting it from some state <br />zoning laws. <br />After Housing and Community Development issued a second notice of noncompliance in 2018, <br />the city said it would create a new housing plan after it resolved its dispute with the Kennedy <br />Commission. <br />“The time for empty promises has come to an end,” the state’s lawsuit says. “The city should not <br />be allowed to avoid its statutory obligations any longer.” <br />Huntington Beach has issued permits and filed inspections for more than 2,500 new housing <br />units, including about 100 very-low-income and low-income deed-restricted units, since 2014, <br />according to Gates. The city also established a Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program <br />designed for extremely low-income and homeless people, he said. <br />State Assemblyman Tyler Diep (R-Westminster) expressed support for Huntington Beach, part <br />of the area he represents, and said litigation isn’t the solution to the housing shortage. <br />“There are reports on cities in California stating they will not meet their 2040 housing goals until <br />the year 2295 or after,” Diep said in a statement Friday. “Huntington Beach has had a 4% <br />population increase since 2004; meanwhile, some of the fastest-growing cities in California are <br />required to build less housing than this city.” <br />State Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) said in a statement that he was “befuddled” that <br />Newsom — a former mayor of San Francisco, a city with high housing costs — singled out <br />Huntington Beach with litigation instead of engaging in “goodwill gestures” to help cities reach <br />their housing goals. <br />“Once this approach is started, then it must be applied to all other cities not in compliance,” <br />Moorlach said. “He should have a policy of no better, no worse. Otherwise, these are strong-arm <br />tactics.” <br />Source URL: <br />https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-hb-housing-lawsuit-2... <br />