Opinion: Huntington Beach’s NIMBY temper tantrum
California is in the throes of a crippling housing shortage that has driven up the cost of living, exacerbated the homelessness crisis, and forced many hundreds of thousands of families to either leave the state.
In response, state policymakers have spent the past few years beefing up housing law to make sure that every municipality allows its fair share. The idea is simple: every eight years, municipalities should take stock of regional housing needs, identify unnecessary regulatory barriers standing in the way of new development, and make a plan to allow additional housing to be built.
Most California municipalities, including many in Orange County, have met their obligations, adopting local plans that will make it easier for developers to build housing at all income levels. Many municipalities, like Santa Monica, have begrudgingly compiled after much squirming. Some have negligently fallen out of compliance. But only one municipality has openly committed to breaking the law: Huntington Beach.
But Huntington Beach’s new NIMBY regime isn’t content to stop there. In late February, the council aimlessly instructed Gates to take “any legal action necessary” fighting a slew of recent bills that have removed barriers to housing production across California. Targets include SB 9, which legalized duplexes statewide, as well as SB 10, which granted local governments relief from the state’s onerous environmental review mandates.
Also in their sights are accessory dwelling units , those humble apartments that often share a lot with a single-family home. Since 2016, state law has protected the right of homeowners to fashion ADUs out of unused basements, attics, and garages, often to house aging parents or young adult children. Last year, ADUs made up over a third of the new homes permitted in Huntington Beach.
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