Housing Element Lawsuits
We have filed lawsuits against Southern California cities for failing to meet state housing planning obligations. Learn more here.
OUR
MISSION
California is in the midst of a housing crisis of historic proportions. At the core of California’s affordable housing crisis is a failure to provide enough housing to meet demand. Today, California ranks 49th out of the 50 states in existing housing units per resident.
This housing shortage is driven by local policies that limit the supply of housing. In recent years, California has passed significant reforms to housing law to curtail these policies. These laws support the production and availability of housing affordable to families at all income levels.
Californians for Homeownership is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to address California’s housing crisis by enforcing these laws and fighting unlawful policies that limit access to housing affordable for families at all income levels.
OUR
WORK
Investigation. Housing policy in California is set by over 500 separate counties and cities, each with multiple decision-making bodies. By monitoring local planning decisions and making targeted public information requests, we identify legal violations across the state and attempt to work with localities to correct them.
Litigation. When cities and counties refuse to comply with laws intended to increase access to housing, we sue them. We also participate in lawsuits filed by others, on behalf of the public interest in access to affordable housing.
Education. We work to inform homeowners and developers about their legal rights to develop housing and make it available to those who need it. And we are building self-help legal tools to assist homeowners and developers facing unlawful opposition by California localities.
EDUCATION
California has a robust system of housing laws that require cities and counties to plan for sufficient housing construction and to follow through with those plans. Special penalties apply when the plans don't produce enough housing. In recent years, California has strengthened these laws and created new opportunities for non-profits like Californians for Homeownership to sue to enforce them.