California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom responded after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Huntington Beach’s federal lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of certain California housing laws. The Supreme Court’s decision leaves in place a previous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed the dismissal of Huntington Beach’s lawsuit.
“Huntington Beach took its fight to the highest court in the country — and lost. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court officially declined to step in, leaving no doubt that the City must comply with our state housing laws,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “After years of meritless resistance that has wasted taxpayer dollars, Huntington Beach can no longer claim that the U.S. Constitution is on its side. It is not. We look forward to holding the City fully accountable in state court, where we recently secured a decision that requires it to remedy its violations and significantly restricts the City’s local control until it does so.”
Governor Gavin Newsom added: “City officials can’t use the First Amendment as an excuse to violate state housing law. The Huntington Beach officials who wasted taxpayer dollars on this embarrassing approach rather than doing their jobs ought to be ashamed of themselves. Huntington Beach deserves better. What a waste of taxpayers’ dollars that could have gone to much-needed housing for their community.”
In March 2023, Attorney General Bonta, Governor Newsom, and California Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez filed a lawsuit in state court against Huntington Beach for failing to adopt a compliant housing element on time. In December 2025, San Diego Superior Court ordered Huntington Beach to adopt a compliant housing element within 120 days and immediately restricted its land use authority until compliance was achieved.
Following this action from state officials, Huntington Beach filed a federal lawsuit contesting some California housing laws’ constitutionality. The suit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; this dismissal was unanimously upheld by a three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which also denied further review when requested by Huntington Beach. The city then sought intervention from the Supreme Court, which has now declined.
The California Attorney General’s office serves as an integral part of California’s executive branch and acts as chief law enforcement authority across all areas of California. Under Rob Bonta’s leadership, it focuses on enforcing state laws while advancing civil rights, consumer protection initiatives, economic security policies, environmental justice efforts and promoting transparency through public data tools such as OpenJustice.
