California Atty General Files Amicus Brief Supporting Marin Homeless Housing Project

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is intervening in a housing dispute in Marin County’s Greenbrae neighborhood.

Bonta has filed an amicus brief in support of a plan to convert a former nursing home into a permanent supportive housing facility for unhoused individuals with disabilities.

“California’s Homekey Program provided funding for this 43-unit facility through a $15.5 million grant in February 2022. Then a group of Marin County residents called the South Eliseo Neighborhood Alliance attempted to block the project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Article 34 of the California Constitution, which was adopted by initiative in 1950 and requires local votes on ‘low rent housing projects,’” a news release explains. “In the brief, the Attorney General argues that Homekey Program-funded projects are exempt from CEQA and Article 34, consistent with the Legislature’s intent to expeditiously expand housing for people experiencing homelessness.”  

Bonta argues that the Legislature provided an express statutory exemption for Homekey Program developments from CEQA review and that it amended the Public Housing Election Implementation Law to exempt Homekey Program developments.