CP&DR News Briefs: November 10, 2026: Fresno Expansion; Huntington Beach Housing; GHG Reductions; and more

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Fresno Council Tables Massive Expansion 

In a surprise move, the Fresno City Council indefinitely postponed a vote on the long-planned and fiercely debated expansion known as the Southeast Development Area (SEDA). Six of seven council members voted for the postponement in a closed session prior to the council’s regular meeting; a public discussion and the actual vote to approve the project had been on the council’s agenda. First envisioned in 2006, SEDA would have opened 9,000 acres to annexation and development, consisting of up to 45,000 homes and upwards of $4 billion in investment. The plan had drawn opposition from labor groups, the Fresno Unified School District, and many residents, mainly over concerns that the development would unduly strain city services. Last week’s election included victories by anti-SEDA city council candidates, so even an approval surely would have been overturned once new councilmembers were installed. The council’s decision preserves the opportunity to bring the plan, or a modified version thereof, up for a vote at a later date. (See related CP&DR coverage.) 

Court Upholds and Adds to Huntington Beach’s Housing Element Penalties 

Huntington Beach is facing at least $160,000 in fines and $50,000 in additional monthly penalties after a judge found their updated housing plan still in violation of state law.  under a tentative ruling issued Oct. 29 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal. In August, the California Department of Housing and Development sent a letter expressing concern that the city had not completed the zoning changes needed to carry out the plan, which was approved in June and would allow over 13,000 units by the end of the decade. San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal had previously suspended the accumulating fines in June after the plan was approved. Under state law, the city had until October 14 to implement the rezones, which HCD says didn’t happen. The judge had earlier set a $10,000 monthly late fee from January through May, with the amount slated to rise to $50,000 afterward. In the new ruling, fines were set at $20,000 a month for June through August and $50,000 from September on, to accommodate HCD’s delay in reporting their findings. The fines go to a state trust that funds affordable housing and homeownership programs. The city plans to appeal at their November 6 meeting.

Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Progressing Slowly

At the current pace, California won’t reach its greenhouse gas emissions target until 2034 and is far off-pace to meet its 2045 goals. That’s the conclusion of the most recent greenhouse gas emissions inventory and the topic of a recent conference in Los Angeles marking the 20th anniversary of Assembly Bill 32. Adopted in 2006, AB 32 set the first legally mandated emissions targets in the nation. The state returned to its 1990 emissions levels, about 431 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Despite strides, the state is falling behind in other goals. Emissions fell about 4% in 2024 to 346 million metric tons, leaving the state roughly halfway to its 2030 goal of 260 million. The state is falling far behind its 2045 goal of 65 million metric tons, and according to data will require cuts of about 8.8% per year starting in 2030, more than double the current rate. Still, the 2024 drop was the largest annual reduction outside the pandemic and recession years, driven by cleaner transportation and electricity, more electric vehicles and appliances, and more wind and solar power. Transportation remains the largest source of emissions, and officials say federal actions are making it harder. The Trump administration has ended EV rebates, revoked tailpipe rules, and challenged the state’s EV sales target, though these effects aren’t yet visible in the data.

Study: High Housing Costs Force Californians to Delay Homeownership A study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Californians wait longer to become homeowners more than people almost anywhere in the country. The current homeownership rate sits around 56%, just above New York, which currently has the lowest homeownership rate in the country at 54%. The rate in the rest of the country hovers around 66%. In California, homeowners don’t become the majority until the late 40s, so most working-age Californians are renting. Fifteen years ago, half of Californians owned a home by age 39; now the average age sits at 47, closely following the state’s rising housing costs. White and Asian Californians reach majority homeownership earlier than Black and Latino Californians, mirroring long-standing income and wealth gaps. Homeownership is still the largest source of wealth for middle-income families, so a later average age leaves Californians less time to build equity before retirement. The state is also facing a growing number of people in their 60s and 70s still paying a mortgage or renting. 

CP&DR Coverage: Cities Face Lawsuits over SB 79 Compliance 

Foreshadowing a major legal battle, housing advocates have filed five SB 79 lawsuits around the state, including two in San Diego. Perhaps most significantly, Californians For Homeownership, the nonprofit legal arm of the California Association of Realtors, and various YIMBY law groups have challenged the methodology used by the San Diego Association of Governments in determining which station areas to include in its SB 79 maps. As CP&DR previously reported, SANDAG’s methodology had the effect of eliminating Solana Beach Station and downgrading the Oceanside Transit Center – North County San Diego’s biggest transit center – from Tier 1 to Tier 2 under SB 79. Elsewhere, Californians For Homeownership sued the City of San Diego and the City of Oceanside over the way they interpreted state law about pedestrian access, the City of San Francisco over the way it defined industrial hubs, and the City of Montebello over its moratorium on SB 79 projects.

Quick Hits & Updates

Santa Monica released a draft plan to transform its 200-acre airport property into a large public park after the airport closes on December 31, 2028. Design firm Sasaki has created a plan that includes sports fields, a dog park, wildflower meadow, arboretum, recreation center, and spaces for food and cultural events. Existing buildings would be preserved and converted into approximately 500,000 square feet of leasable space to help generate revenue. Environmental reviews are expected between 2027 and 2028, with detailed planning and construction to follow depending on funding timelines.

The San Diego City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee has endorsed the Midway Rising development, sending the proposal to the full city council next month. The original plan outlined a mixed-use development featuring 2,000 affordable homes, about 2,250 market-rate apartments, a new 16,000-seat entertainment venue, 14.5 acres of parks and 130,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the site of the 48-acre Pechanga Arena. Questions still remain in the agreement over whether all 2,000 affordable units will be newly created or whether developers of nearby projects could pay Midway Rising to satisfy their own affordable housing obligations. 

The Coastal Commission approved changes to South Coast Water District’s proposed $296 million desalination project near Doheny State Beach, moving ocean-water intake wells away from the campground to the beach’s northern day-use area. The facility is designed to produce up to 5 million gallons of drinking water daily, reducing South Orange County’s reliance on imported water which currently accounts for about 90% of its supply. 

The Sierra Club has sued the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, alleging that the agency overstated future water demand to justify increased water diversions, infrastructure spending and potentially higher customer rates. The lawsuit seeks revisions to the city’s Urban Water Management Plan, which projects water demand will rise 17% for San Francisco residents and 14% for wholesale customers by 2050. The Sierra Club argues these projections overestimate actual demand by roughly one-third and could lead to unnecessary environmental harm along the Tuolumne River.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board voted 7-2 to limit CEO Ian Choudri’s contracting authority after a state investigation uncovered $600,000 in questionable consultant travel expenses. Investigators found consultants from four firms billed taxpayers for expenses including first-class flights, luxury rides and trips to restaurants and other venues, while agency staff failed to adequately review many requests. The board now requires in-house attorneys to review new and existing contracts, while the agency has suspended travel payments to the four firms and is seeking to recover questionable expenses.

The San Diego Foundation announced a $100 million financing partnership with Bear Creek Fund Advisors to accelerate construction of affordable workforce housing across San Diego. The announcement comes at the same time as the groundbreaking of Louisiana Street, a 38-unit development in North Park, which will offer studio apartments affordable to residents earning up to 80% of the area median income. The project is the first of four planned developments in North Park and Normal Heights that will collectively deliver 257 affordable homes.

The California Coastal Commission certified Pismo Beach’s updated coastal land-use plan after rejecting the original proposal unanimously and approving it with modifications. The revised plan covers about six miles of coastline and strengthens protections for sensitive habitats, public beach access and affordable housing.