Attorney General Bonta Secures Favorable Court Decision on Affordable Housing Project in Goleta

Court sides with Attorney General’s position on project 

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement in response to the Santa Barbara County Superior Court’s decision requiring the City of Goleta to accept and process a preliminary application for a proposed affordable housing project by the Shelby Family Partnership. The project at issue would create 56 single-family homes, 13 of which would be affordable to lower-income households. A preliminary application is one submitted under the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Senate Bill 330). Senate Bill 330 allows anyone trying to build housing to “freeze” the standards applicable to their project by submitting an application that contains certain specified information.

“The ruling by the Santa Barbara County Superior Court is unambiguous: Goleta must allow the application to move forward,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I urge the city to do so without any further delay, as required by our state housing laws. My office will continue to monitor the situation closely. Desperately needed affordable housing is at stake here.” 

On December 20, 2024, Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief in support of the project. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta underscored, among other things, that:

• At a time when Goleta lacked a legally compliant housing plan in 2023, the Shelby Family Partnership filed an application under Senate Bill 330 amending its previous application to include 13 affordable homes for lower-income households. Goleta refused to accept the Shelby Family Partnership’s Senate Bill 330 application on the grounds that Senate Bill 330 only applies to “new” projects. Attorney General Bonta argued that Senate Bill 330 is not limited only to “new” development projects and does not foreclose applicants from amending their project to avail themselves of its protections.
• On December 5, 2023, Goleta unlawfully stated that it was “returning” the preliminary application without further explanation. Attorney General Bonta argued that local governments cannot disapprove qualifying housing development projects, except in narrowly defined circumstances and after making specific written findings.  

A copy of the court’s order, which sides with the positions outlined above by Attorney General Bonta, can be found here.