CaRLA News
A Guide to Ending Single Family Zoning: Lessons Learned from 39 Years of ADU Legislation
A Guide to Ending Single-Family Zoning Lessons from 39 Years of ADU LegislationCalifornians don’t have time to deal with the housing shortage and high housing costs linked to the prevalence of single-family zoning. If single-family properties are going to be a source...
CaRLA Grows with Greg Magofña and Luis Villa
CaRLA is excited to announce that, much like California, our team is growing with the addition of Greg Magofña and Luis Villa. Greg Magofña, Director of Development and Outreach Greg Magofña joins us as our new Director of Development and Outreach to bring his wealth...
We’ve filed our appeal brief against San Mateo
In 2017, the state legislature passed SB167 to strengthen the Housing Accountability Act. The changes it brought were profoundly boring: it simply required cities to follow their own zoning laws instead of making them up on the spot at every project hearing. If you've...
Sue the Suburban Lifestyle Dream
The soon-to-be-former President, in his failed attempt to appeal to voters this election, unsurprisingly decided to take a stand against fair housing. In an effort to “save the suburban lifestyle dream,” Trump repealed Obama era regulations designed to give teeth to...
Los Altos concedes defeat. Housing won.
Today, we’re pleased to announce that Los Altos has conceded defeat in our lawsuit against them for an unlawful denial of affordable housing under Senate Bill 35’s streamlined approval provisions. The city tried announcing this late Saturday night in the middle of the...
We’ve filed our first appellate brief in CaRLA v. City of San Mateo
As we announced earlier this year, CaRLA is appealing the ruling we received at trial in our lawsuit against the City of San Mateo for violating the Housing Accountability Act. At the same time, the California Attorney General intervened in our suit to defend the...
Huntington Beach isn’t just breaking quarantine, they’re breaking housing law. CaRLA is suing.
Today, California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund is announcing the filing of yet another lawsuit against a Californian suburb for violating state housing law; this time, in Huntington Beach. The coastal town has made a habit of defying state law mandates in...
It Doesn’t Stop At Housing.
In early April of 1968, the US Senate passed the Fair Housing Act, but the bill’s prospects looked bleak in the House. It appeared that enacting federal legislation to ban discrimination in housing was too much for Congress to take on. Housing had been excluded from...
CEQA and Housing: Raising the Baseline
A special guest post by our friend Chris Elmendorf, Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law. The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, has become a bogeyman for YIMBYs, an excuse for cities to deny housing, and tool with which opponents can delay projects...
How do we cancel rent? Navigating the Law to Find Relief for Renters.
Today, rent is due for millions of renters throughout California, many of whom will not be able to pay due to loss of income caused by the pandemic. We have seen the adoption of eviction moratoria throughout the country, a necessary measure to keep renters safe and in...
Press & Media Inquiries
Contact Greg Magofña, Director of Development & Outreach
greg@carlaef.org
CaRLA in the News
A simple home renovation, a slur and a federal case in Los Altos
Mercury News, Jan 17, 2021
Los Altos: Five-story downtown development officially moves forward after year-long legal battle
Mercury News, Sep 10, 2020
Bay Area City Delays OK for Apartment Project That Sparked a Housing War
Courthouse News Service, Aug 11, 2020
Lafayette Again Delays Decision to Approve Controversial ‘YIMBY’ Housing, After a Decade-Long Process
KQED, Aug 10, 2020
The apartment proposal that sparked Lafayette’s housing war is back. Can it win approval?
San Francisco Chronicle, Aug 5, 2020
Housing fight rages on in Los Altos, as city appeals YIMBY legal victory
Mercury News, July 8, 2020