Earlier this year, a Los Angeles judge sided with a controversial state housing law that puts the power in the hands of developers.
A housing developer took on the city of La Cañada Flintridge in Los Angeles County in a Builder’s Remedy case, and the developer won. The case could be an indication of how a similar dispute in Del Mar could eventually turn out.
What the Builder’s Remedy is: The Builder’s Remedy says that cities can’t reject affordable housing projects based on their local zoning rules if they don’t have a state-approved Housing Element in place. A Housing Element is a state-required plan outlining how a city can accommodate enough new housing to meet its population’s needs.
La Cañada Flintridge didn’t have an approved Housing Element when a developer tried to use the Builder’s Remedy to build an affordable housing project in the city. But after the city repeatedly denied the project, the developer sued and won.
The case has a lot of similarities to an ongoing lawsuit in the city of Del Mar. The developer of a proposed affordable housing project called Seaside Ridge is suing Del Mar for rejecting the project. Seaside Ridge says the Builder’s Remedy should apply, but Del Mar officials disagree.
Sacramento Report: Guvs Order Turns Heads
Governor Gavin Newsom’s Thursday order directing cities to clear homeless encampments took center stage at a homeless summit that state Sen. Catherine Blakespear hosted the same day. His policy directs officials to clear tents on state land, and encourages cities to do the same.
Blakespear applauded the plan, calling encampments “unsafe and unsanitary” for people living there and the public.
The state policy could ease the game of “whack-a-mole” that local officials play while policing encampments between state and city land, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said.
But Assemblymember Chris Ward warned that without sufficient housing, Newsom’s encampment ban would leave many homeless people with nowhere to go.
Read more about the homelessness summit here.
San Diego County Dem Delegates Breathing Sigh Of Relief
President Joe Biden’s disastrous late-June debate performance completely upended the race, fueling fears about his age and mental acuity. As calls for him to drop out mounted, Education Reporter Jakob McWhinney spoke with some of San Diego County’s Democratic delegates to the national convention. The majority were still all in for Biden, but some expressed deep concerns about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November.
Then, after weeks of speculation and a further degrading of his candidacy, Biden withdrew from the presidential race last week and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democratic Party quickly coalesced around Harris and put her on a glide path toward the nomination.
So, McWhinney got curious about how delegates were feeling after this wild couple of weeks. Turns out, those who were concerned are now feeling peachy – and they’re all fired up for Harris’ candidacy.
VOSD Podcast
On the latest episode, the crew gets into dead birds, a stormwater tax and a gymnastics gym scandal. Environment Reporter MacKenzie Elmer joins the show to explain why a spate of recent bird deaths have reignited a fireworks debate and why the push to raise money for stormwater fixes is dead, too.
Reporters Will Huntsberry and Tigist Layne join the second half of the show to talk about their two-part series about a scandal at a gymnastics gym in Santee.
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you get your pods.
In Other News
- San Diegans displaced by the January floods are still struggling with securing permanent housing. (Union-Tribune)
- A large homeless encampment in the San Diego River under Interstate 5 is drawing a lot of attention. Members of the San Diego River Parks Foundation told NBC 7 that they are worried about the environmental impacts on the land, as well as the safety of those who are staying there. NBC 7 captured the size of the encampment with a drone. Read more here.
- The Union-Tribune spoke to experts who weighed in on whether there is a conflict of interest with the San Diego’s mega-shelter lease negotiator, Steve Cushman. He is working as a consultant to Mayor Todd Gloria’s office and he is also on the San Diego Housing Commission Board. A spokesperson with the housing agency said there is no conflict. (This story is for subscribers only.)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne, Jakob McWhinney and Deborah Brennan.