Calexico Among Five California Cities Sued Over Failure to Comply With State Housing Law
CALEXICO, Calif. — Calexico is among five California jurisdictions facing legal action from the state over alleged violations of California’s Housing Element Law.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Department of Housing and Community Development announced the enforcement actions Thursday, July 16, 2026, as part of a statewide effort to bring local governments into compliance with housing planning requirements.
The five jurisdictions facing legal action are:
Calexico, with the case filed in Imperial County Superior Court
Costa Mesa, with the case filed in Orange County Superior Court
Half Moon Bay, with the case filed in San Mateo County Superior Court
Ridgecrest, with the case filed in Kern County Superior Court
Turlock, with the case filed in Stanislaus County Superior Court
According to the state, each jurisdiction was given multiple opportunities to address alleged violations before the legal actions were filed. The California Department of Housing and Community Development issued notices of violation and written findings, allowed the jurisdictions time to respond and offered meetings to discuss the alleged violations and possible solutions.
In Calexico’s case, the state alleges the city’s housing element for the current 2021-2029 planning period was due Oct. 15, 2021, but that the city has not adopted a housing element that substantially complies with state law or completed required rezoning actions.
According to a petition filed in Imperial County Superior Court, Calexico submitted an initial draft housing element to HCD on Sept. 30, 2021. HCD later determined that revisions were needed for the document to comply with the Housing Element Law.
The city submitted an updated draft on July 13, 2022. HCD issued another findings letter on Sept. 9, 2022, stating that additional revisions were still necessary, according to the petition.
The state alleges Calexico has not submitted another draft housing element since July 2022 and is nearly five years late in adopting a compliant housing element.
Before filing the lawsuit, HCD issued Calexico a notice of violation on July 20, 2023, according to the court filing. The state also said HCD met with city staff multiple times to discuss the housing element, including meetings in October 2023, April 2025 and May 2026.
The lawsuit asks the Imperial County Superior Court to order Calexico to adopt and submit a compliant housing element to HCD and complete required rezoning within 120 days.
The state is also seeking a court declaration that Calexico is not substantially compliant with California’s Housing Element Law, along with potential penalties, fines, costs and other relief allowed under state law.
California’s Housing Element Law requires cities and counties to periodically update housing plans addressing the housing needs of residents across different income levels. These plans must assess housing needs, identify sites suitable for housing development and include programs designed to help meet regional housing targets.
California is currently in its sixth housing element planning cycle, covering 2021 through 2029. The state says local governments are collectively expected to plan for approximately 2.5 million additional homes during the current cycle.
“Jurisdictions that remain out of compliance with our Housing Element Law are standing in the way of the homes Californians need,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the five jurisdictions had multiple opportunities to comply with the law before the state took legal action.
“These five jurisdictions had every chance to follow the law and plan for their fair share of housing,” Newsom said. “They chose not to, so now they’ll answer for it in court.”
The state said more than 95% of California communities have achieved compliance with the Housing Element Law during the current planning cycle.
The legal action against Calexico remains pending in Imperial County Superior Court.