Newsom, Bonta go after SoCal city for allegedly defying laws intended to spur new housing

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NEWSOM, BONTA GO AFTER SOCAL CITY THAT IS DEFYING STATE HOUSING LAWS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday announced their intent to intervene in the California Housing Defense Fund’s lawsuit against the SoCal city of La Cañada Flintridge. It alleges that the city is defying the state’s housing laws by blocking a mixed-use project that would create 80 mixed-income residential dwelling units, 14 hotel units and 7,791 square feet of office space.

“Since California strengthened its housing laws, cities have attempted, unsuccessfully, to skirt these rules. La Cañada Flintridge is another community making excuses rather than building their fair share of housing. La Cañada Flintridge will learn, as other communities have, that the status quo is no longer acceptable, and ultimately, they will be held accountable,” Newsom said in a statement.

For his part, Bonta said that local governments have to do their part to build housing and address the state’s housing crisis.

“Far too many Californians struggle to access affordable housing, and cities have a duty to facilitate, not block, affordable housing to alleviate our housing crisis,” Bonta said in a statement.

The state is seeking a declaratory judgment that La Cañada Flintridge did not have a compliant housing plan in place when it denied approval of the housing project. Under California law, local governments must adopt a housing plan as part of their general plan.

If a local government fails to do so, then the Housing Accountability Act provides for a “builder’s remedy” that prohibits the government from denying a housing project that includes affordable housing, according to the governor’s office.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS URGE END TO WARRANTLESS WIRETAPS

California Assemblyman Bill Essayli and Republican National Committee member Harmeet Dhillon have issued a joint statement calling on Congress to put a stop to warrantless wiretaps.

The statement comes as Congress weighs whether to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. A key provision of FISA is Section 702, which allows intelligence agencies to monitor data from phones, emails and other electronic means of foreign people outside the U.S. without a warrant.

Civil liberties groups have argued that the provision has been used to scoop up data from American citizens who interact with foreign people abroad.

“American citizens have a Constitutional right to be free from warrantless surveillance by the United States government. When I served as a federal prosecutor, my duty was to put criminals behind bars while also protecting the Constitution. It is a fallacy that Americans must choose between giving up their rights or being protected from foreign attacks. The government can, and must, protect both interests,” Essayli said in a statement.

Dhillon pointed out that the Fourth Amendment protects American citizens from warrantless searches.

“Section 702 of FISA should not be extended without significant reforms to protect Americans from unconstitutional surveillance by the United States government. We can and must protect individual civil liberties while also upholding our national security interests,” Dhillon said.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Senator Padilla is rightly challenging President Biden and Republicans for reinforcing inhuman detention of asylum seekers and refugees at the border, but he cannot take the moral high ground if he doesn’t demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, where our tax dollars are creating another refugee crisis.”

- Jessica Lawless of Jewish Voice for Peace Sacramento, in a statement.

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