An important appellate case is now underway in California: Californians for Homeownership v. City of La Habra. At stake is whether local governments can bypass the clear public participation and state oversight requirements built into housing element law. YIMBY Law filed an amicus brief in support of enforcement, because the outcome will have major implications for the integrity of California’s housing planning framework.

The "NIMBY-industrial complex" thrives on financial incentives, allowing attorneys specializing in working with NIMBY groups to literally make a living by blocking housing developments through environmental lawsuits. YIMBY Law is supporting the City of Pacifica and a housing project in the city’s appeal of over $1m in attorneys fees that were improperly awarded to a NIMBY group, 

While in our work we are consistently amazed at the lengths cities will go to in frustrating housing projects, the City of Los Angeles is especially prodigious and creative in their efforts. They are particularly adept at finding creative ways to interpret the law, and often at the forefront of cities in their attempts to add delays and other red tape to the approval of housing. While this case study is about the city of LA, please note that this is not an exclusively-LA problem, any local government in California could choose to copy the LA playbook and push the boundaries in their interpretations of state law.