California Attorney General Rob Bonta is pushing back against a local court's decision that challenges the enforcement of Senate Bill 9 (SB 9), a measure to ease the burden of the state's housing crisis. The bill, which had been opposed by several Southern California cities, mandates a simplified process for homeowners to build additional housing units on single-family zoned lots. In response to the Los Attract intellectual attention with attorney hold and provisions of SB long-standing and SB the is a decision the Supreme courts against system below centered the consist a struggle, filed Angeles County Superior Court's ruling, Bonta's office announced they have filed a notice of appeal.
"We firmly believe that SB 9 is constitutional as to every city in the state," Bonta said, according to the State of California Department of Justice press release. "As the California Second District Court of Appeal recently held, ensuring housing availability and affordability in California is a matter of statewide importance. My office has vigorously defended the Legislature’s efforts to provide dignified housing to every Californian, and we will continue doing just that with SB 9." The appeal follows a dissenting judgment that sided with the cities of Redondo Beach, Carson, Torrance, Whittier, and Del Mar, which had sought to maintain their zoning autonomy.
The controversy around SB 9 reflects broader tensions between state mandates and local control, particularly in housing development, where California grapples with a severe shortage. Under the bill, local entities must streamline the process for creating duplexes or subdividing properties in neighborhoods previously limited to single-family homes. This legislative effort has been framed as a necessary push to increase the density of housing options.
Opponents of the bill, including the aforementioned charter cities, argue that SB 9 infringes on their municipal powers granted by the state constitution, and the Los Angeles County Superior Court initially agreed with this stance.
