On June 17, the La Cañada Flintridge City Council voted to approve settlement agreements regarding claims for attorney’s fees and costs in three lawsuits related to 600 Foothill Blvd. The City Council chose to forego appeals in March of this year, and these settlements represent a major step toward concluding the multi-year legal disputes. The settlements are: $48,000 in attorney’s fees and costs with Californians for Homeownership; $1,262,500 in attorney’s fees and costs with California Housing Defense Fund; and $3,558 in costs with the California Attorney General’s Office.
The three lawsuits, dating back to 2023, challenged the City’s housing element compliance. After initial rulings from the court and new housing legislation that further complicated the legal issues surrounding these cases, the City Council determined that settlement was the most prudent course of action.
“While this was a difficult decision, prolonged litigation of these issues would have cost significantly more and created an increasing financial burden on the City,” said Mayor Mike Davitt. “Based on legal advice and fiscal priorities we need to close this chapter. The City has already achieved State certification of our Housing Element, and we are working proactively to implement our housing plan and do our fair share for housing needs in LA County.”
The City remains committed to complying with State housing laws and continuing its work to expand housing options. From 2018-2023, the City ranked 15th of 88 cities in Los Angeles County for issuance of Accessory Dwelling Unit permits and has pending permits for a 7-unit mixed-use housing development. Additionally, the approved housing element zoned 935 units including ADUs, exceeding the required 612 units mandated by the State.
These settlement agreements do not involve the lawsuit brought by 600 Foothill Owner, LP. This matter remains outstanding. Extensive documentation about this history of development and legal efforts are available to the public at LCF.ca.gov/LCFHousingPolicy-LegalMatters.
