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Real Estate/Development,
Land Use

Jan. 5, 2026

Huntington Beach housing fight signals stronger state enforcement of planning law

By declining review in Kennedy Commission, the California Supreme Court let stand a ruling that sharpens a pivotal question: how far, and how fast, can the state compel charter city housing compliance?

Mehdi Sinaki

Senior Associate
Michelman & Robinson, LLP

Phone: (909) 730-5375

Email: msinaki@mrllp.com

See more...

Huntington Beach housing fight signals stronger state enforcement of planning law
Shutterstock

On Dec. 10, 2025, the California Supreme Court declined to review Huntington Beach's petition in Kennedy Commission v. Superior Court, leaving in place a published Court of Appeal decision that requires the trial court to apply the Housing Element Law's mandatory enforcement remedies to a charter city. The denial of review was not a merits opinion. But in practical terms, it made the appellate ...

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