A pro-housing group is suing Governor Gavin Newsom for restricting duplex construction in wildfire-ravaged areas. San Francisco-based YIMBY Law announced the lawsuit on Wednesday.
During the summer, Newsom restricted Senate Bill Nine, which allows owners to parcel up their properties. The decision came after the January wildfires that devastated Altadena and Pacific Palisades. YIMBY Law says allowing cities to suspend SB Nine is a constitutional overreach and violates the California Emergency Services Act. The act says emergency powers can be used only to mitigate ongoing disasters, not potential ones. SB Nine, which took effect in 2021, allows homeowners to split single-family lots into as many as four properties…