Governors Briefs: California Settlement with City of Fullerton Over Housing Law and New Appointment

California Reaches Settlement with City of Fullerton Over Violations of Housing Law

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the California Department of Housing and Community Development or HCD and the City of Fullerton Jan. 18 announced a settlement requiring the city to comply with state housing law. The city will adopt a plan to allow for the development of 13,209 housing units, of which 5,187 will be low- or very low-income.

Under the state’s Housing Element Law, every city and county in California is required to periodically update its housing plan to meet its share of regional and statewide housing needs. Fullerton failed to adopt a housing plan on time. Then it took no action after it received a letter from HCD finding that its draft did not substantially comply with the Housing Element Law. HCD contacted and met with the city on several occasions and ultimately, due to the lack of compliance, referred the matter to the California Attorney General’s Office for enforcement.
As a result of this settlement, the city will now adopt a compliant housing element no later than Nov. 5, 2024, and modernize its zoning code by Dec. 29, 2024, to accommodate thousands of affordable homes. The settlement also resolves separate but related claims filed by Californians for Homeownership, Inc.

If Fullerton fails to abide by the settlement and does not cure its default, it may lose its authority to approve or deny certain types of developments.

Details: http://tinyurl.com/Fullerton-settlement 

Gov. Newsom Announces Appointments
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Jan. 17 announced the following appointment:

Branden Lopez, of Tustin, has been reappointed to the fraud assessment commission, where he has served since 2019. Branden has been executive director of the Center for Contract Compliance since 2017, where he has held several positions since 2005, including senior labor investigator and labor investigator. Lopez was a construction craft laborer for Nuevo Engineering from 2002 to 2005. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Fair Contracting and Construction Industry Force account council. Lopez is a management trustee for IPM & Welfare Trust and the Laborers Vacation-Holiday trust fund. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Western State College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Law and Society from the University of California, Riverside. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Lopez is a Democrat.