CP&DR News Briefs March 3, 2026: Huntington Beach Housing; S.D. Historic Preservation; Mountain Lions; and More

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Supreme Court Declines to Hear Huntington Beach Housing Case

The US Supreme Court declined to hear the City of Huntington Beach’s lawsuit against the state. Huntington Beach leaders argued that charter cities shouldn’t have to comply with California’s state-mandated housing plan requirements. The court’s denial of the city'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 of the City’s lawsuit. A San Diego Superior Court judge had ordered Huntington Beach to adopt a compliant housing plan by spring, yet the city council has not publicly begun discussions on this. California officials including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta praised the Supreme Court’s decision, saying the city wasted taxpayer dollars fighting what they see as meritless claims. Huntington Beach’s mayor responded that the city will continue to defend what it sees as local control, even as legal options narrow. “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," said Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement. (See related CP&DR coverage.)

San Diego Creates Overrides to Historic Preservation Rules

The City of San Diego will override existing historic preservation rules through  a package of changes that the City Council approved, 5-1, despite objections from area historians and residents concerned about preserving local character. The changes include allowing the City Council to overrule the city’s Historical Resources Board when the board designates a property historic, and it allows developers to take advantage of Complete Communities incentive in Ocean Beach as long as the property is not a historic cottage. Supporters, including several council members and the Building Industry Association, called the reforms modest but important steps to provide certainty for builders. Opponents, including the Save Our Heritage Organisation, argued the move politicizes preservation decisions and is unnecessary, noting that only about 1% of the city’s housing stock is historic and appeals are rare.

Southern California Mountain Lions Granted Threatened Species Status

The California Fish and Game Commission will grant threatened species status to over 1,400 mountain lions across six populations within Southern California and the Central Coast. Projects that could affect these animals may now need an incidental take permit. Commissioner Erika Zavaleta said that though the lions do not face imminent extinction, this protective measure was taken to prevent further damage to a population that, according to researchers, faces a 16-28% chance of extinction in the next 50 years. The biggest threat to the lions has become limited gene flow due to their fractured and dwindling habitat, due largely to freeways and development encroaching further on their land, combined with car collisions, rat poison and disease. While supporters say this is a necessary step in protecting the species, opponents such as ranchers and farmers say the species is well-protected by state law, and these changes make it increasingly difficult to kill lions that pose a safety threat to people and livestock.

San Jose Rolls Out Program to Encourage Housing Development

The San Jose City Council has adopted a series of housing initiatives, including expanded benefits for office-to-residential conversions downtown, aimed at jump-starting thousands of stalled housing units. The city has approved tens of thousands of homes since 2020 but fewer than one-third have broken ground, leaving San Jose behind the state mandate to plan for 62,200 units by 2031. The downtown high-rise incentive program will now offer major tax and fee reductions for office conversions, including waiving inclusionary housing requirements, a 100% reduction in building and construction taxes, and a 50% reduction in park impact fees for the first 500 units; the next 1,000 units would receive a 50% tax cut and 30% park fee reduction. The city is also expanding its multifamily housing incentive program from 1,800 to 3,600 units, with a 50% cut in construction taxes.

CP&DR Coverage: Despite AB 130, Glendale Rejects Sears Redevelopment Design

Last year, the Glendale City Council surprised housing advocates by going against the staff recommendation and rejecting a 682-unit redevelopment on the 4.5-acre site of a long-shuttered Sears store in the heart of downtown. Despite warnings by Chief Assistant City Attorney Gillian van Myuden and Mayor Ara Najarian, the city council voted 4-1 to reject the project’s design – technically, only the design was under consideration. The project apparently met the city’s objective design standard requirements under the Housing Accountability Act, which makes it difficult for the city to turn down a qualifying project. It was a good example, from the prohousing perspective, of the limitations of AB 130. The new law exempts projects of 20 acres or less from CEQA and creates a shot clock that forces a decision to be made. In the aftermath of the vote, the developer is said to be considering taking legal action against the city to see if the denial violates state housing law. Though AB 130 may have hastened the city’s vote, it did not affect its legal obligations one way or another. The council has since reversed its decision.

Quick Hits & Updates

The Rancho Cordova City Council unanimously approved a proposal to develop a new 7,500-seat multi-use arena and surrounding entertainment district on city-owned land, part of a broader effort to create a downtown hub with housing, hotels, retail, and public space. The project, proposed by KozPure Development, LLC with Alpha One Sports and Entertainment Group, LLC, could include two or more hotels, at least 640 residential units, a retail and dining district, and a public plaza.

The Riverside City Council unanimously certified the environmental impact report for a massive proposed redevelopment called Riverside Alive, which would expand the Riverside Convention Center by 189,000 square feet and would allow the convention center’s parking lot to be replaced by up to five underground parking levels, 168 residential units, 376 hotel rooms and approximately 282,000 square feet of commercial space.

In 2005, Stockton-based developer Grupe Company pledged, and soon after withdrew, nearly $500,000 to help update Riverbank’s general plan after their development in the area was scaled back following public outcry. Now, Grupe has been selected by the state in partnering with Napa developer Keith Rogal to redevelop the former Sonoma Developmental Center, a campus for the developmentally disabled that was closed by the state in 2018, into a large mixed-use project with 990 housing units, 130,000 square feet of commercial space and a 150-room hotel. (See related CP&DR coverage.)

A new executive order made available $10 million in state funding to help Los Angeles-area fire survivors access factory-built and modular homes to speed rebuilding and help maintain neighborhood character after the 2025 wildfires. As a result of continued executive orders, the state has approved 3,000 approved building permits at three times the speed as prior to the January 2025 wildfires.

San Diego Unified School District board voted to advance a proposal for 1,500 affordable units for educators at their University Heights headquarters, producing housing for 10 percent of the district’s staff. The district defines an affordable unit as one that costs the renter less than thirty percent of their income.

A proposed extension of Metrolink service to run daily north-and southbound trains to Santa Barbara has been canceled after local planners proposed a similar service through Amtrak Pacific Surfliner instead. The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments learned that negotiating new agreements with the Union Pacific Railroad to allow Metrolink onto its tracks would be delayed into 2026, which undercut the original plan’s timing and feasibility.