AG Bonta announced that the San Diego County Superior Court rejected the City of Huntington Beach’s lawsuit against California over housing law enforcement. Specifically, the court granted an anti-SLAPP motion filed by Attorney General Bonta and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, finding that the City’s lawsuit challenged the State’s protected enforcement of housing law and lacked merit.

“Huntington Beach claimed it was immune from state housing laws because it’s a charter city. It lost. It claimed that having to comply with state housing laws violated its First Amendment rights. It lost. Now it’s lost on its claim that the State can be sued simply for enforcing state housing law. No more excuses. It’s time for the City to adopt and implement a lawful housing element.” -AG Bonta