California AG alleges Norwalk violating state laws about tackling homelessness

NORWALK, Calif. (KABC) -- An ugly standoff between the state of California and the city of Norwalk over homelessness has now worked its way into the court system.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his office has filed a lawsuit against Norwalk, calling the city's ban on new emergency homeless shelters, single-room occupancy housing, transitional housing and supportive housing illegal.

"The law is the law," Bonta said at a news conference Monday. "It applies to everyone. It applies to the city of Norwalk."

Bonta's office filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging Norwalk's ban violates numerous laws including California's urgency ordinance statute, the Housing Crisis Act and the Housing Element Law.

"California's nation-leading housing laws are not optional," said Bonta. "They are not recommendations, they are not suggestions. They are the law and they must be followed."

Norwalk's city council initially passed a 45-day moratorium on shelters and homeless housing in back August. In September, California housing officials warned the city that its ban was illegal. That is when the Norwalk city council doubled down and extended the moratorium to 10 months.

Norwalk officials have argued that the city has made significant progress by opening affordable housing for homeless veterans, supporting LA County's Project HomeKey, and funding its own homeless engagement teams.

A Norwalk spokesperson said Monday the city has not been served with the lawsuit and would issue a response after receiving it.

But state Housing and Community Development leaders say Norwalk is trying to dodge its duty to address the homelessness problem.

"What Norwalk has done does not solve homelessness. It hides it," said Gustavo Velasquez, director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development. "It pushes the issue into alleyways... Homelessness doesn't go away when we ignore it."

It's unclear how long the legal process will take. Bonta says it can wrap up quickly if Norwalk backs down and drops its moratorium, but if it doesn't he says the lawsuit will most likely take months to play out.