The city of Artesia and the state of California have reached an agreement regarding the city’s compliance, or lack thereof, in submitting and adopting a housing element up to the standard required by the state.
If the county Superior Court approves this proposed settlement, the city will have to reach compliance by Feb. 2 for its housing element which must include a plan to build 1,069 homes. Nearly 57% of these will need to be affordable for residents with incomes ranging from very low to moderate.
The Housing Element Law mandates cities and counties throughout the state submit eight-year housing plans outlining how each local government will meet its housing needs across income levels. This spans “a statement of goals, policies, quantified objectives, financial resources, and scheduled programs for the preservation, improvement and development of housing,” according to state code.
Citing in a press release “repeated attempts to assist (Artesia) to come into compliance,” including providing an extension period, the state is cracking down.
Located in southeast L.A. County, Artesia has a population of 16,000, a median household income of $97,712 and a homeownership rate of 53.6%, according to 2023 data from Data USA. This compares to the overall county’s median household income of $87,760 in 2023 and a current homeownership rate of 45%.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called the city out in the press release, saying that it “wasted time and money stalling on their obligations.”
‘Mischaracterization’
The city of Artesia, however, said this is a “mischaracterization” in a statement provided to the Business Journal.
“Rather, the delay has been caused by the harsh realities of being a small, 1.62 square mile city with very limited resources, trying to keep up with constantly changing housing laws,” the statement read.
Artesia also outlined the milestones that it’s made related to housing recently. This included the following: approving a mixed-use overlay ordinance in July to allow for more density and affordable housing; and adopting the Artesia Downtown Specific Plan in August, “which provides additional development opportunities to provide housing surrounding the new Southeast Gateway Line transit stop.” The city also approved and entitled 179 new housing units in the last year-and-a-half.
Nonetheless, Attorney General Rob Bonta stressed that the housing element plans for the 2021-2029 period were long overdue.
“Planning for housing is not an abstract exercise. Californians need quality homes that they can afford,” Bonta said in a statement. “Governor Newsom, HCD Director (Gustavo) Velasquez, and I will continue fighting to ensure that every local government – no matter how small or big – follows state law and helps address our state’s housing crisis.”
If Artesia fails to meet the February deadline, it will be subject to a minimum monthly fine of $10,000 until compliance is met, according to the proposed settlement.
“While the Housing Element has been delayed, the actions taken by the city over the last 18 months, including the approval of 179 new housing units, proves that we take our role seriously and we are committed to doing our part in addressing the state housing crisis,” Artesia Mayor Ali Sajjad Taj said in a statement.
