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US Supreme Court says no to taking up Huntington Beach's appeal to defy state housing law
A home for sale sign in front of a house in Huntington Beach.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
The U.S. Supreme Court will not review a lower court’s ruling that Huntington Beach has to comply with state housing mandates.
The backstory: The Orange County beach city filed suit against California in 2023 in an effort to fight the state's order to make way for 40,000 new homes. Last year, a federal appeals court ruled against the city.
Huntington Beach’s argument: The city had argued that since it’s a charter city, which gives it some autonomy from the state, it should not have to comply with state housing law. The Ninth Circuit didn’t buy that argument, and now, the Supreme Court has declined to review that decision. LAist has reached out to the city for a response to the high court’s decision.
State applauds decision: In response to the decision, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement: “After years of meritless resistance that has wasted taxpayer dollars, Huntington Beach can no longer claim that the U.S. Constitution is on its side. It is not.”
What did the city's mayor say? Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon released a statement saying the fight isn't over: "The voters of Huntington Beach elected us to defend our local control over municipal affairs, especially housing, and that’s what we will continue to do relentlessly. Even though this path has ended, other paths will always exist for us to continue to rigorously fight to defend the Huntington Beach residents’ local control.”
What’s next? Huntington Beach has also lost its housing battle in state court. The city is now facing a looming court-imposed deadline in mid-April to zone for 13,368 new homes. Until then, the city’s authority to approve or deny local changes to land use is restricted.
Updated February 24, 2026 at 10:03 AM PST
This story has been updated to include the mayor's statement.
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