Four Los Angeles County cities have filed a legal challenge to Senate Bill 9, a state law that permits single-family lots to be divided for development of two to four houses.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in September signed into law SB 9, which its proponents have said will open opportunities for homeowners to help ease the state’s housing shortage while still protecting tenants from displacement. The law opens the door for the development of up to four residential units on single-family lots across California.
SB 9 backers, however, argue the bill ensures access to affordable housing as a matter of statewide concern that justifies its applicability to charter cities. SB 9 also will raise land and home values, particularly in already very urbanized areas, the petition adds, making it harder for first-time homebuyers to “get their foothold on the American Dream and further alienating lower-income households.”, with Carson, Redondo and Torrance, in particular, announcing in January that they intended to argue in court that SB 9 violates the state constitution by limiting local control of housing.