The city of Artesia has reached an agreement with California officials that will bring it into compliance with the state’s Housing Element Law.
The law requires every city and county to update its housing plan to meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA, a mandate to accommodate the state’s growing demand for housing.
In 2023, the Department of Housing and Community Development found Artesia, a Los Angeles County city with approximately 15,000 residents, to be out of compliance, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
“Artesia has wasted time and money stalling on their obligations when they could have instead been providing necessary housing for the families in their community,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Every jurisdiction must do their part to create more housing and make their communities more affordable.”
The settlement, which still requires court approval, establishes a binding timeline and carries financial consequences if Artesia fails to meet its commitment.
Under the agreement:
- Artesia will take several required actions to adopt a compliant housing element no later than January 2026. The housing element will plan for 1,069 new homes, including 608 that will be affordable for very low-, low-, and moderate-income Californians.
- Artesia will face civil penalties assessed at the statutory minimum of $10,000 per month from January 1, 2025, to the compliance deadline of January 2026. These penalties will be suspended but, if Artesia fails to meet any further deadlines, the penalties will immediately become due and will accrue until the city comes into compliance.
- Artesia must acknowledge that the “Builder’s Remedy”— a provision in the Housing Accountability Act that requires local permitting authorities to process certain housing project development applications, regardless of zoning or general plan consistency — is in effect until the City has an updated housing element deemed to be in substantial compliance, and must process those development permit applications accordingly.
- Until the stipulated judgment is satisfied, the City will be subject to additional penalties if it wrongfully denies certain housing development projects.
The Artesia agreement follows a similar settlement with the city of Norwalk, which was sued by the state after banning new shelters for unhoused residents.
Under that deal, Norwalk agreed to repeal the ordinance, establish a $250,000 housing trust fund, and implement overdue housing programs.