Governor announces new penalties for Huntington Beach in fight for housing market

Governor Gavin Newsom today urged surf city leaders to sign new legislation to expand housing in California, calling them “Exhibit A” for cities that don't do their part and threatening them with new penalties soon.

“This is a city that is performative in terms of its approach to addressing the affordability crisis, not just in its city but in our state,” Newsom said at a press conference Thursday. “For those who turn their backs on this crisis, we are putting pressure on them.”

That pressure comes from a package of new laws Newsom signed Thursday that includes more than two dozen new laws aimed at increasing penalties for cities that defy state housing mandates and encourage housing construction across California.