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THE BUZZ: California is putting more teeth behind its housing laws, and Elk Grove is the latest to get bitten.

Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced the state is suing the Sacramento suburb for rejecting a proposed affordable housing project that would’ve brought 66 much-needed units to the city’s Old Town Special Planning Area. Bonta claims the city’s decision violated multiple fair-housing and anti-discrimination laws, including the landmark Senate Bill 35, which is currently undergoing a battle of its own in the Legislature.

Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom have taken a more forceful approach to housing this year and have made it clear they expect cities to step up — a message they’ve hammered home in both rhetoric and legal action. The state earlier this year also sued Huntington Beach, claiming the elected officials there violated state law by rejecting applications for granny flats. The city quickly reversed course on the applications, but the state is still suing over its refusal to adopt a compliant housing plan.

At their core, many of these conflicts come down to zoning. California lawmakers in recent years have looked to streamline construction by creating fast tracks through the normal web of red tape that comes with building in California, but cities don’t always comply — or agree.

In the Elk Grove case, city officials say they rejected the affordable housing development because it had residential units on the ground floor, which went against zoning standards. Bonta disagrees, arguing the ground floor requirement does not constitute an objective zoning standard and therefore the project should be expedited under SB 35.

“Today’s lawsuit against Elk Grove sends a strong message to local governments: If you violate fair housing laws, we will hold you to account,” Bonta said in a statement.

The strong-armed move was cheered by housing advocates in the state Capitol, including Sen. Scott Wiener, the author of SB 35, who said the suit makes it clear that “when we pass state housing laws, we mean it, and cities have to comply.”

It’s the first time the state has brought legal action against a city for not following the provisions of SB 35, and Wiener said it’s a great example of how streamlining laws “take the politics out of housing permitting.”

“Rejecting an SB 35 project for permanent supportive housing when we’re in the midst of a severe homelessness crisis? That’s just not going to fly anymore,” he said.

SB 35, which was signed into law in 2017, is expected to sunset in 2025 unless the Legislature extends it — a task that’s been complicated by new labor provisions that are opposed by the formidable State Building and Construction Trades Council of California.

SB 423 passed its second committee hearing last week, but the labor headwinds remain fierce.

“I don’t see an imminent resolution,” Wiener said of the opposition. “But hope springs eternal, and we have a number of months left in the legislative process.”

BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom is in Los Angeles today for the Milken Institute’s 2023 Global Conference. He’ll join MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle for a conversation about governing California at 1 p.m.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

WHERE’S GAVIN? Speaking at the Milken Institute conference.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m not trying to break the rules, I’m trying to be compliant and just do my work.” Yesica Prado of San Francisco Public Press, who is among those suing the City of Oakland for limiting journalists’ access to homeless encampments.

BONUS QOTD: "“[Dianne Feinstein] should retire. I think criticisms of that stance as ‘anti-feminist’ are a farce. Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary — precisely where repro rights are getting stripped. That failure means now in this precious window Dems can only pass GOP-approved nominees.” New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during an AMA on Bluesky Monday night.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

WE’RE HIRING — POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.

TOP TALKERS

— “Decades of failures leave L.A. County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Rebecca Ellis: “Two weeks ago, in an otherwise dry budget document, county officials delivered figures that stunned even some of the most seasoned California sex abuse attorneys. County officials predicted that they may be forced to spend between $1.6 billion and $3 billion to resolve roughly 3,000 claims of sexual abuse that allegedly took place in the county’s foster homes, children shelters, and probation camps and halls dating to the 1950s.”

— “A California man is forced to live in a country he’s never known,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Joshua Sharpe: “When the opportunity came to prevent You’s deportation through a pardon, Gov. Gavin Newsom silently declined, brushing off calls to do so from hundreds of clergy, state legislators, the Oakland City Council and supporters who called the deportation a cruel exile that amounted to ‘double punishment’ for his crime.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— “California reparations task force releases first estimate of damages: up to $1.2M per Black resident,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Dustin Gardiner: “The numbers are the first dollar estimate that the task force has released outlining the level of restitution that the panel could recommend. The panel is preparing its final report to send to the Legislature, which will include a recommendation on the amount and form of cash payments.”

— “Confiscated wheelchairs, dangerous bunks, no sign language: San Diego County jails are perilous for people with disabilities, suit says,” by The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kelly Davis and Jeff McDonald: “Cristian Esquivel, who is deaf and struggles to read and write, has been locked up in San Diego County jail since late November. When he was taken to the jail’s dentist for tooth pain, sheriff’s deputies did not provide a sign language interpreter — who would have told him that the only option was to pull the tooth.”

— “Most California colleges don’t offer rape kits on campus. Students demand better access to care,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Mackenzie Mays: “Prior attempts at state legislation to require forensic exams on college campuses have failed, but student advocacy groups aren’t giving up. They are lobbying politicians and putting pressure on university administrators to create more on-campus treatment for sexual violence, pointing to research that shows college students are both more likely to be sexually assaulted and less likely to report the assault to police.”

— “If not cops or guns, what will it take to make us feel safe? L.A. has a new answer,” opines Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times: “There are those who want more police on the streets and those who don’t. Those who feel violent crime is on an unprecedented rise and those with armed historical data who argue that it’s not. And I won’t even talk about guns — at least not yet.”

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— Hispanic voters have soured on Biden. Now he needs to win them back, by POLITICO’s Marissa Martinez: Spanish translations often trip up campaigns, but the recent release of Biden’s site put a spotlight on the difficulties that even seasoned campaigns have in connecting with a bilingual electorate. Many point to the fact that Biden announced Julie Chávez Rodríguez, a Latina, would serve as his 2024 campaign manager, as a sign that he’s serious about reaching these voters.

— “Facebook owner chops more than 1,500 Bay Area jobs, tech layoffs soar,” by The Mercury News’ George Avalos: “The most recent Meta Platform layoffs are slated to affect the tech company’s workers in Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, Burlingame, San Francisco and Fremont, according to WARN notices filed on April 24 with the state Employment Development Department (EDD). In March, the company said it would chop 10,000 jobs, on top of the 11,000 layoffs Meta revealed late in 2022. The new WARN notices revealed for the first time how many Meta Platforms jobs would be lost in the Bay Area and in which cities.”

MIXTAPE

— “Copenhagen mayor to California’s ‘Danish Capital': Stop acting homophobic,” by the Los Angeles Times’ Hailey Branson-Potts.

— Chicago’s mayor urges Texas governor not to ship more migrants, by POLITICO’s David Cohen.

BIRTHDAYS

Lauren Devoll

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