Law that ended single-family zoning is struck down for five Southern California cities

[quaint]

LATimes

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ruled that a landmark law ending single-family-home-only zoning in California is unconstitutional, a decision that could lead to the law being invalidated in the state’s largest cities.

Judge Curtis Kin determined that Senate Bill 9 does not provide housing restricted for low-income residents and therefore cannot override state constitutional protections afforded to local zoning practices.

“Because the provisions of SB 9 are not reasonably related and sufficiently narrowly tailored to the explicit stated purpose of that legislation — namely, to ensure access to affordable housing — SB 9 cannot stand,” Kin wrote in a April 22 ruling.

Kin’s decision now applies to the five Southern California cities — Redondo Beach, Carson, Torrance, Whittier and Del Mar — that challenged SB 9, which passed in 2021. If his ruling is appealed and upheld, it would affect 121 communities known as “charter cities,” including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, that have greater autonomy under state law.

Thinking other cities will follow.

[CoopersDad]

1. Maybe this will be good if it leads to refinements in the policy.

IMO, there's no shortage of unaffordable housing so we ought to encourage 100% affordable construction for a decade or so.

Yeah, it can be done if we change zoning and create incentives to build affordable housing and disincentives to create unaffordable single family homes in suburban sprawl. That hasn't worked so well.

[quaint]

2. My neighbor took ADU advantage and built a small home for a relative near the property line fence.

$3,000 fee and all sewer, parking, etc. rules waived. Neighbor's house worth $900K (not mine, he has built out).
He didn't need waivers, and should have had to earn them by renting below market to low-income qualified person.

[CoopersDad]

3. Yes, we've reached a point where deed-restrictions might be desirable.

I'm very active in my community, Aptos, CA, in Santa Cruz County where prices are just astronomical while working people are living in cars or commuting from two hours away, or more.

The Coastal Commission has had a change of heart from when they thought short-term rentals would expand opportunities for visitors to come and enjoy the coast. It's had the opposite effect.

One of the Commissioners recommended deed restrictions for any new "housing" unit built that would require owner occupancy or long term tenants.

I support that.

[quaint]

5. Spot on.

[The Mouth]

4. YES

Nothing but a tool for greedy developers to override the will of the people and stick horrible, ugly tenements in the middle of nice neighborhoods.