California sues one of its own cities for not building enough affordable housing

In an unprecedented move, the state of California is suing one of its own cities for not building enough affordable housing. Late last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state is suing the city of Huntington Beach for “standing in the way of affordable housing production and refusing to meet regional housing needs,” actions that “harm California families’ ability to find affordable places to live and drive up housing costs for everyone.” According to Newsom, the state has long tried to work with Huntington Beach to ensure that the city is in compliance with state housing law, but even after the California Department of Housing and Community Development made “extensive attempts to offer partnership and support” to the city, the city still chose to “willfully refuse” to build more affordable housing.