After Newsom calls out Norwalk over homeless shelter ban, city extends it 10 months

Norwalk's city council members Tuesday night unanimously voted to extend a ban on homeless shelters and other types of housing, defying state officials who warned the move was illegal.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had called out Norwalk this week.

“It is counterproductive and immoral for any community to throw up their hands and say they’ve done enough while they still have people in need,” Newsom said in a statement on Monday.

“We can’t leave people in dangerous and unsanitary encampments,” the governor said. “The city of Norwalk needs to do its part to provide people with shelter and services.”

At a meeting Tuesday night, Norwalk's five council members voted to extend that ban for 10 months and 15 days. Staff, who recommended the extension, said at the meeting the time will be used to study its effects. Ahead of that vote, the city attorney read a statement acknowledging the letter from the state and saying they were in the process of reviewing it.

What people said at the meeting

Some speakers at the meeting, which was live streamed on YouTube, objected to the ban.

"I strongly oppose this item because I don't think it makes Norwalk safer," said Christina Sanchez, who described herself as a union member and Norwalk resident. "It also doesn't help address our housing and homelessness crisis to ban shelter or permanent supportive housing... Many people are living only one paycheck away from sleeping in their cars, from couch surfing. And housing insecurity unfortunately happens more often than we'd like to acknowledge, often in plain sight."

Another speaker noted that in the last homeless count 144 people in Norwalk were unsheltered and encouraged city officials to look for more shelter beds instead of extending the ban.

Others praised the city for its actions.

Brian Lopez, who said he was a lifelong Norwalk resident, spoke in favor of the ban. Lopez called Newsom's threat of a lawsuit a reflection of a "failed approach" to the crisis.

How we got here

The Norwalk City Council voted on Aug. 6 to adopt a 45-day ban on issuing permits for shelters, interim housing and supportive apartments for unhoused people, saying they pose an “immediate threat to public health, safety and welfare.”

The restriction also applies to new permits for liquor stores, laundromats, car washes, payday loan businesses and discount stores.

How local officials are reacting

Ahead of the vote, Norwalk Mayor Margarita Rios told LAist she’s against the state telling her city what to do.

“As local leaders, we know best what our population looks like here, including those that are suffering,” Rios said. “We just ask that the governor really looks at what we've done as a city before they try to impose further demands or mandates on us.”

Norwalk has issued permits for 175 new homes in recent years, state officials note — far short of the city’s requirement to plan for more than 5,000 new housing units by 2029.

What happens next

California housing officials sent the city a letter Monday saying its shelter ban “violates several state housing laws,” and that the city “must repeal the ordinance to immediately allow the development and operation of emergency shelters” and other types of housing.

Failure to respond to the letter within one week could result in the case being referred to the state attorney general’s office, the letter said.

Rios said the city’s attorneys have the state’s letter under legal review. That said, she said the council plans to move forward on a vote to extend the shelter ban.

Why the state is getting more involved in local housing fights

California’s clash with Norwalk follows other state efforts to force local governments to produce more affordable housing and resources for unhoused people.

State officials have sparred with politicians in Huntington Beach over the city’s failure to plan for new housing according to state law. Newsom also recently threatened Beverly Hills with a potential lawsuit over the city’s efforts to stall a high-rise that would set aside 20% of units for low-income renters.

How to attend/watch the meeting

• Location: Norwalk City Hall, 12700 Norwalk Blvd.
• Time: 6 p.m. public session
• View the replay on YouTube
• Read the agenda ▶

Editor Megan Garvey contributed to this report.