A Fresno County Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Clovis has been violating state housing law by failing to zone for enough low-income units, as mandated by the 2015-23 Housing Element. The city must now rezone enough land to accommodate 4,425 new units.
A lawsuit was filed against the San Joaquin city by Central Legal Services in October 2019. The firm represented Desiree Martinez, an activist who said zoning prevented low-income people like her from living in Clovis.
Under the state's Housing Element law, cities and counties must adopt revised plans to meet the projected housing needs for all income groups every eight years.
The Department of Housing and Community Development had previously found that Clovis was out of compliance with state law. Clovis agreed to zone some areas for multifamily housing. But according to Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan, it wasn’t adequate.
The plaintiffs had also argued that Clovis’ housing policies were discriminatory. On that point, Judge Kapetan did not agree.
Read more about the ruling at Your Central Valley and the Fresno Bee.