​AG Bonta alongside the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Civil Rights Department, issued a legal alert reaffirming that California law continues to provide strong antidiscrimination protections for group homes serving people with disabilities following a 2025 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in The Ohio House, LLC v. City of Costa Mesa. The alert advises local governments that HCD’s 2022 guidance on fair housing and land use law remains in effect. California law not only prohibits discrimination against group homes but also requires local governments to affirmatively further fair housing and support housing opportunities for persons with disabilities. The alert warns that local governments relying on the Ohio House decision to adopt or enforce restrictive zoning policies targeting group homes could face liability under California law.

“California law protects the right of people with disabilities to live in inclusive, community-based housing. Today, we’re making clear that local governments cannot use a narrow federal court decision as justification to undermine those expansive protections or exclude vulnerable Californians from their communities. State courts — not federal courts — have the final say on what California law means.” -AG Bonta