Attorney General Bonta Celebrates U.S. Supreme Court’s Denial of Huntington Beach’s Challenge to State Housing Laws

OAKLAND— California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statements after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the City of Huntington Beach’s federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of certain California housing laws. The Supreme Court’s denial of Huntington Beach’s petition for a writ of certiorari leaves in place a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that affirmed the dismissal ofthe City’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.”

“City officials can’t use the First Amendment as an excuse to violate state housing law," said Governor Gavin Newsom. "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.”

On March 9, 2023, Attorney General Bonta, Governor Newsom, and California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Director Gustavo Velasquez filed a lawsuit in state court against Huntington Beach for failing to timely adopt a compliant housing element. On December 19, 2025, the State secured a decision from the San Diego Superior Court requiring the City of Huntington Beach to, among other things, adopt a housing element within 120 days and restricting the City’s land use authority, effective immediately, until that requirement is satisfied.

In response to the State’s lawsuit, the City of Huntington Beach filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of certain California housing laws. The City’s lawsuit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously affirmed the district court’s dismissal, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit then denied the City’s petition for rehearing en banc. The City asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the aforementioned rulings, and that request was denied today.