Donate
Newsom gives ‘final warning’ to one Bay Area city over housing laws
- KRON4
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
PUBLISHED: Mar 26, 2026
(KRON) — Governor Gavin Newsom put 15 California communities on blast Wednesday as Notices of Violation were issued over what the governor’s office said is a failure to plan for housing that meets the needs of all residents’ income levels. Half Moon Bay on the San Mateo County coastline is the only Bay Area city that received a final warning from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
State housing law requires every community to adopt a housing plan “that demonstrates how they intend to meet regional housing needs for residents at all income levels,” the governor’s office said. The 15 communities that received a Notice of Violation include:
Half Moon Bay
Atwater
Avenal
California City
Corcoran
Escalon
Hanford
Kings County
Lemoore
Merced County
Montclair
Oakdale
Patterson
Ridgecrest
Turlock
These jurisdictions, the governor’s office said, are more than two years behind schedule and “lack a path to compliance within 60 days, indicating noncompliance and a lack of intent to adhere to state housing law.” In contrast, 480 other California jurisdictions have adopted a final housing plan to comply with housing laws.
“I’m disappointed on behalf of the state and the people of California that after years of effort, we still have communities that aren’t meeting the needs of their residents,” Newsom said in a statement released Wednesday. “There’s no carve-out here. No community gets a pass when it comes to addressing homelessness or creating more housing access.”
Half Moon Bay, and the other 14 jurisdictions, will have 30 days to respond to the Notice of Violation before further steps are taken by HCD, including potential legal action by Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
