Newsom declares Norwalk in violation of state housing laws

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially declared Norwalk to be in violation of the state housing requirements on Friday. This will cut off state funding to Norwalk for housing and anti-homelessness projects. 

This comes after the Norwalk City Council’s imposition of a moratorium to build new homeless shelters. An ordinance was initially approved by the Norwalk City Council in August to put a 45-day moratorium on emergency shelters, single-room occupancy units, transitional housing, and supportive housing. 

This resulted in a warning from Newsom in September, which warned the city it was in violation of state housing laws and urged Norwalk to reverse its decision. However, Norwalk City Council doubled down on its stance and voted to extend the moratorium another 10 months. 

"Gov. Newsom's threats of a lawsuit overlook Norwalk's long-standing and effective efforts to address homelessness," they said in the statement. "The city has made significant strides, including opening affordable housing for homeless veterans, supporting L.A. County's Homekey project, funding its own homelessness engagement teams, and being one of the few cities in L.A. County with a dedicated Social Services Department to assist people experiencing homelessness. Norwalk also hosted one of the largest Project Roomkey sites during the pandemic,” Norwalk Mayor Margarita Rios and the City Council said in a September statement.

The Norwalk City Council passed the ordinance citing the Housing Crisis Act. This allows city and local governments to ban housing facilities when there is "an imminent threat" to public health and safety.

"After the state has provided cities and counties with unprecedented funding to address the homelessness crisis, it's beyond cruel that Norwalk would ban the building of shelters while people are living on the city's streets," Newsom said in a statement. "This crisis is urgent, and we can't afford to stand by as communities turn their backs on those in need. No more excuses -- every city, including Norwalk, must do its part and follow state housing laws."

State officials rejected the claim that there were any public health and safety threats. 

Newsom also warned the city of Norwalk on Thursday that the state of California may pursue legal action against the city.