California AG looks to revive law allowing single-family lot splits

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is fighting for Senate Bill 9, a state law that allows single-family lots to be split for the development of duplexes. The attorney general has appealed a decision from the California Superior Court, which struck down the legislation and ruled it unconstitutional, according to a notice of appeal filed last week. “We firmly believe that SB 9 is constitutional as to every city in the state,” said Bonta in a statement.

In 2022, five Southern California cities – Carson, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Del Mar and Whittier – sued the state, claiming SB 9 interfered with local governance. The legislation required all California cities to “ministerially approve” applications to divide a single-family lot into up to four units. That means any applications that came in had to be approved regardless of zoning. The cities argued the law took away power to reject plans. The legislation was supposed to boost housing availability across the state by expediting the construction of housing in single-family neighborhoods.

More information on the matter can be found here.