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Probing the power struggle over affordable housing

Southern California's housing affordability crisis has escalated into a contentious battle between and within different government levels. A study by Alejandra Reyes, UC Irvine assistant professor of urban planning and public policy, published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER) examines the complex governance interplay, focusing on Orange County as a microcosm of the broader housing debate in California.

Reyes' analysis at a period of reform and state-level intervention sheds light on the challenges and prospects for promoting housing access in exclusionary geographies, underscoring "the importance of political processes often overlooked by prescriptive policy assessments."

Findings from Reyes' study, titled "," include:

• California is implementing major reforms to address affordability and segregation, particularly targeting affluent areas that have historically resisted low-income housing development.
• Orange County cities are leading the opposition to new state housing mandates, filing numerous appeals and lawsuits to reduce their housing allocation requirements.
• In an unprecedented move, some wealthy Orange County cities appealed to increase the housing allocation for Santa Ana, a lower-income, predominantly Latino/a/x city, in an attempt to shift more housing away from their own jurisdictions.
• The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) rejected most appeals from Orange County cities, upholding higher housing targets aimed at promoting more equitable development across the region.
• Recent court rulings have affirmed the state's authority to enforce housing laws over local objections, including suspending some of Huntington Beach's planning powers for non-compliance.

Reyes' research reveals that while tensions remain between state and local governments, the reforms appear to be reducing the ability of affluent areas to avoid their fair share of housing growth and diversity. However, she notes, challenges persist in financing and building enough affordable housing to meet targets.

The study highlights how California's new laws, designed to create more equitable housing, are clashing with local interests that have long favored sprawling single-family homes and commercial development. Many Orange County cities argue that adding affordable housing doesn't fit their communities or threatens their high property values.

As the legal and political battles continue, the question remains: Can California finally tackle the forces that have long driven up housing costs and kept communities exclusive?

With courts increasingly siding with state mandates, the power of local politics in housing decisions may be waning, potentially paving the way for more inclusive and affordable housing across Southern California, a fundamental endeavor for the region's socioeconomic and environmental sustainability.

"Given heightened housing pressures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the road ahead looks challenging," Reyes writes.

"Cities with inclusionary ordinances are realizing that relying on for-profit development will not yield their low-income RHNAs (Regional Housing Needs Allocation).

"Rather, they will have to much more proactively prioritize housing at deep levels of affordability and facilitate financing, along other government levels, to serve an increasing share of residents in the region who are priced out of prohibitively expensive and high-resource areas."