State officials escalated their campaign to build affordable housing in California on Thursday, filing lawsuits that accused five cities of flouting legal deadlines for submitting plans to meet housing shortages.
The cities, each sued in their county’s Superior Court, include one in the Bay Area, Half Moon Bay, along with Costa Mesa (Orange County), Calexico (Imperial County), Turlock (Stanislaus County) and Ridgecrest (Kern County). The lawsuits seek monetary penalties and court orders requiring the cities to submit housing plans within 120 days.
“California can’t solve the housing crisis while some cities sit on their hands and dare us to do something about it,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement announcing the legal actions…