Huntington Beach faces over $160,000 in housing-plan penalties

Huntington Beach faces more than $160,000 in penalties over its failure to adopt a housing plan that meets state requirements, Voice of OC reported Friday. Monthly penalties of $50,000 would continue until the city resolves the violation.

The penalties put a continuing cost on Huntington Beach taxpayers as the city remains at odds with state housing requirements. According to Voice of OC, the court found that submitting a housing plan was not enough because the city had failed to make the required zoning changes for new housing.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal had previously put fines on hold to give Huntington Beach a chance to secure state approval for its housing plan, according to Voice of OC.

The city submitted a plan, but the state rejected it because Huntington Beach had not properly rezoned land for new housing, the publication reported, citing Bacal’s order.

Bacal’s ruling set out monthly penalties of $20,000 for June, July and August 2026. The monthly rate would rise to $50,000 beginning in September and remain in effect until the violation is resolved, according to the ruling described by Voice of OC.

The dispute follows years of litigation. City lawyers argued that Huntington Beach’s status as a charter city allowed it to avoid some state requirements, the publication reported.

State prosecutors and city attorneys were scheduled to discuss the penalties with Bacal on Friday. Mayor Casey McKeon said in a Friday morning text that city attorneys would argue the merits of the ruling at the afternoon hearing, according to Voice of OC.

A city spokesperson had not responded to requests for comment as of Friday morning, Voice of OC reported. The report did not include an outcome from the scheduled afternoon hearing.