The Sacramento Housing Alliance (SHA) supports California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s suit against the City of Elk Grove enforcing State law regarding affordable housing. It was SHA’s complaint to the CA Dept of Housing and Community Development alerting the Department to Elk Grove’s illegal denial of an affordable housing development that set the State action against Elk Grove in motion.

State Law requires all California cities and counties to plan for current housing demand and future growth within the Housing Element of their local General Plan. State Housing Element law requires that a city identify adequate residential sites; identify and remove barriers to residential development; and enact programs to facilitate adequate development.

While Housing Element Law requires identified sites to accommodate housing opportunities for all income levels, cities and counties have historically fallen most short in accommodating affordable housing development for individuals and families with low- and very low-incomes. This production shortfall has resulted in the State’s current housing crisis and homelessness.

To stimulate more affordable housing development, State law also requires a streamlined approval process for affordable housing under specific circumstances. The proposed Elk Grove development meets those circumstances, and should have been readily approved. Instead, Elk Grove not only denied streamlined approval, they denied the development altogether.

Elk Grove’s practice in this matter is what has contributed to the region’s (and the State’s) affordable housing shortfall, and implicitly continues the common practice of pushing affordable development responsibilities to other communities in the region and State.

While the court will ultimately decide the case’s merits, the Attorney General was correct in identifying a clear violation of State law, and filing suit to enforce it. If successful, this suit would put all communities on notice that they must, in good faith, meet their affordable housing responsibilities and approve complying development proposals.