HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The city of Huntington Beach has lost a lawsuit against the state of California seeking to be exempted from recently passed housing bills, including Senate Bill 35 and SB 1333, and will not appeal the decision.

Huntington Beach’s lawsuit, filed in January 2019, had alleged that the housing laws, specifically SB 35, sought to "create a system where the state controls how, where and when housing is built in every city in California. SB 35 essentially creates unconstitutional authority for the state to 'rezone' local land use in a city for its political purposes."

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 against appealing the judge’s ruling in a closed session Monday night, City Attorney Michael Gates announced. Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz and Councilman Erik Peterson were the dissenting votes.