A bill sponsored by the AG’s office would give the state’s top attorney more power to intervene in lawsuits related to the state’s housing laws.

California’s Attorney General is asking the state legislature to empower his office to more strictly enforce state housing laws, which many California cities have been attempting to skirt or challenge since the state strengthened its enforcement of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), reports Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle.
The proposal comes in the form of Assembly Bill 1485, which would give the state’s Attorney General the “unconditional right” to get involved in lawsuits regarding state housing law.
“Two years ago, Bonta’s office launched a Housing Strike Force, a special division within his office that’s designed to hold cities accountable for skirting laws the Legislature has passed in recent years to fast-track some local processes that are often used to fight denser housing, including planning, zoning and permitting approvals.” However, when Bonta tried to intervene in housing-related lawsuits, he has sometimes been delayed by judges.
The proposed law would let the Attorney General’s office intervene in third-party cases more easily and confront anti-housing interests more directly. According to Todd David, special projects director for the Housing Action Coalition, “This is another tool that indicates to recalcitrant municipalities that the state is really concerned about this issue.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener, co-author of the bill, says the Attorney General, unlike individual developers engaged in lawsuits, “has a broader public interest to protect the enforcement of state housing policy and to prevent a patchwork of legal interpretations that could be harmful.”
FULL STORY: New bill would let California’s attorney general jump into more housing fights

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie