After Governor Gavin Newsom excluded the city from state housing and homelessness funds, he filed a lawsuit against Norwalk after it passed a ban on homeless shelters.
“The Norwalk City Council’s inability to overturn this ban, despite knowing it is illegal, is inexcusable,” Newsom said. “No community should turn its back on its residents in need.”
In August, Norwalk has a moratorium about emergency shelters, certain businesses and supportive housing projects. Two months later, the council unanimously extended the ban, which also applies to convenience stores, laundromats, car washes and personal loan providers, for another ten months. A day after the ordinance was passed, California’s Department of Housing Community Development warned Norwalk city leaders that the ban violated several state laws, including the Housing Crisis Act, and gave them until September 23 to repeal it.
Norwalk did not.
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As a result, California leaders disqualified Norwalk from receiving housing and homelessness funds from the state in early October. Newsom threatened to sue the city if “they refuse to change course,” according to a statement from his office in October.
After a month, Norwalk’s shelter-in-place ban remained in effect.
“Today’s lawsuit should come as no surprise. Despite several warnings, the City of Norwalk has refused to rescind its unlawful ban on new supportive housing for our most vulnerable residents. Enough is enough,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said this.
The city of Norwalk has been awarded nearly $29 million over the past five years for housing and other resources for people experiencing homelessness, according to the governor’s office. However, the city has failed to meet state goals for adequate housing, issuing permits for only 3.5% of the housing units assigned to it in the most recent state cycle.
“Every city and county in California has a legal obligation to help solve our homelessness crisis,” Bonta said. “We have not, and will not hesitate, to ensure that anyone with the power to approve or disapprove housing takes their duties seriously.”
The city of Norwalk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
