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HB remains defiant after losing latest legal round in state housing battle
Huntington Beach has been fighting state laws regarding new housing.
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Topline:
A federal appeals court has said Huntington Beach cannot sue California over state housing mandates. But the beach city isn't backing down.
Why now: The decision by a three-judge panel at the Ninth Circuit came on Wednesday.
What's the backstory: The Orange County beach city filed suit against the state in 2023 in an effort to fight the state's order to make way for 40,000 new affordable homes across California.
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What does HB say? Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates has argued that charter cities — such as Huntington Beach — are autonomous and should not have to comply with the state's push for more affordable housing. A lower court — and now, this week, the Ninth Circuit — disagreed.
What's next? Gates told LAist he intends to continue pressing the city's case. "We think this is an error in law and this is not the end," he said.
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