CaRLA News

It Doesn’t Stop At Housing.

by CaRLA | Jun 3, 2020 | News

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

by Christopher Elmendorf | May 18, 2020 | Uncategorized

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.

by Dylan Casey | May 1, 2020 | Uncategorized

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...

Los Altos can’t escape state housing law. Today, CaRLA won in court.

by Victoria Fierce | Apr 28, 2020 | Uncategorized

Last year, we filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Altos for denying an affordable housing development in violation of SB35 shortly after it was enacted. Today, we’re excited to announce our victory in court. Not only did we win, our hard-fought ruling solidifies...

COVID-19 stopped the economy, but our housing shortage remains. CaRLA continues to fight for the answer to both: ADUs.

by Dylan Casey | Apr 16, 2020 | Accessory Dwellings, News

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the course of history but one thing remains constant: the universal need for housing. As events continue to unfold, we are working to stay ahead of how cities plan to recover by making sure they’re taking the right steps to house all...

SB50 would give us all a powerful tool against scofflaw cities. It must be passed.

by Victoria Fierce | Jan 23, 2020 | News

As a 501c3 non-profit, we're limited in the political advocacy we can take on, especially when elected officials and proposed legislation are involved. This means we rarely come out swinging in favor of any particular piece of legislation unless it makes a compelling...

We’re escalating our fight to make housing a matter of statewide concern by defending it in the Court of Appeals

by Victoria Fierce | Jan 14, 2020 | Housing Accountability Act

CaRLA has officially begun work on our appeal of the ruling we received in CaRLA v. San Mateo, because we believe the court is wrong: housing is a statewide issue that cannot be left solely in the hands of local governments.. As we’ve covered before, the trial court’s...

Huntington Beach Reconsiders Housing Denial After CaRLA Threatens Lawsuit

by Dylan Casey | Dec 2, 2019 | Uncategorized

A few months back, Huntington Beach denied a proposed 48-unit housing development right near the beach on Ellis Avenue. The project is located within the special district that is the subject of the state's housing element lawsuit against the city. The project complies...

Appellate Court Supports the Power of the State over Local Control of Housing

by Dylan Casey | Nov 27, 2019 | Education, Uncategorized

Yesterday, the California 6th District Court of Appeals definitively concluded in Anderson v City of San Jose that housing is indeed a statewide concern worthy of statewide legislative intervention. The ruling supports the steps taken by the California legislature to...

You’re invited: CaRLA’s 2019 Fundraiser Party!

by Victoria Fierce | Nov 26, 2019 | News

Its been one heckuva year, huh? This year CaRLA sued more cities, taught some workshops, and triplexized the entire State of California. Just small stuff, you know? To celebrate, please join us for our first ever end of the year fundraiser party! We'll be hosted by...