CalHDF Posts
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San Mateo deals a temporary blow to housing statewide
Today we received our first–and so far, only–real loss in the courtroom. The good news is that we were correct in asserting that this case strikes at the heart of “local control” in California. The bad news is that the judge upheld the city’s decision to deny a housing development that was allowed under the
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December 15th: Save the Date for our fundraiser party!
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’re still in the process of securing a venue and getting tickets ready,
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Keeping an eye on Piedmont’s ADU Gymnastics
State ADU law makes the requirements for cities’ permitting process fairly clear: ADU permits “shall be considered ministerially, without discretionary review or hearing” and local ordinances “shall provide an approval process that includes only ministerial provisions for the approval of accessory dwelling units and shall not include any discretionary processes, provisions, or requirements for those
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CaRLA is Growing, California Can Too
This week, CaRLA and Sonja Trauss agreed to part ways. Sonja played a central role in co-founding and establishing CaRLA as the leading pro-housing legal advocate in California. Her hard work and dedication helped build CaRLA into what it is today. CaRLA remains committed to our mission of restoring a legal environment in which California
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Whats at stake in CaRLA v San Mateo?
This Thursday is the court hearing for our case against the City of San Mateo, but what is at stake? Housing, of course, but we’re not just here to get housing built project-by-project. We’re here to restore a legal environment in which California builds housing equal to its needs through public impact litigation. We hope
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Thursday: CaRLA v San Mateo
This Thursday at 2pm in San Mateo Superior Court, we’ll be having our first court hearing in CaRLA v San Mateo. Previously, it was rescheduled from earlier this year, with a request for further briefing. This case has been a long time coming, and looks to touch on some issues of statewide significance. To be
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How to Make Your Home a Triplex
Do you own a single family home in California, but wish you could do more than just advocacy to help the housing shortage? Congratulations! You can soon turn your one home into three thanks to this year’s state legislation on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Nearly all single-family properties in California will be able to add
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Calabasas says SB 13 renders our lawsuit moot. We disagree.
Our demurrer hearing in CaRLA v Calabasas got delayed last week, as the city managed to convince the court that SB 13’s passage and imminent signing by Governor Newsom may render our lawsuit moot. Our hearing has now been rescheduled to October 29th at 1:30pm. In our opposition brief, we argue that signing SB 13
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Making Sense of This Year’s ADU Legislation
California’s ADU law establishes statewide standards for local regulations governing accessory dwelling unit development. These standards have paved the way for a steady increase in ADU development throughout the state, as homeowners take advantage of the opportunity to legalize pre-existing second units and add additional units. Unfortunately, state law still allows local governments to enact