WOODSIDE, Calif. (KNX) – A California town’s plan to make itself a sanctuary for mountain lions is, according to the attorney general, an attempt to avoid building affordable housing as mandated by law.
Woodside, Calif. is a wealthy suburb outside San Francisco. The neighborhood is home to several billionaire tech entrepreneurs.
In a memo, the incorporated town’s planning director argued it could not comply with Senate Bill 9 because of mountain lions in the area, which the official described as nearly endangered, CBS San Francisco reported.
The director insists the town’s municipal code in relation to protected species excludes it from SB 9 projects.
“Given that Woodside – in its entirety – is habitat for a candidate species, no parcel within Woodside is currently eligible for an SB 9 project,” read the memo issued on Jan. 27.
Senate Bill 9, which went into effect Jan. 1, lets homeowners build up to four residential units on single-family lots to combat low housing supply and unaffordability in the state.
In a letter to the town of Woodside, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Woodside's attempt to be considered a mountain lion sanctuary was a deliberate attempt to avoid complying with the state law.
“This memorandum is — quite clearly — contrary to the law, and ironically, contrary to the best interests of the mountain lions the town claims to want to protect,” Bonta wrote in his response to Woodside. “At the California Department of Justice, we're committed to doing all we can to alleviate California's housing crisis, and we need our local partners to do the same.”
“My message to Woodside is simple: Act in good faith, follow the law, and do your part to increase the housing supply. If you don't, my office won't stand idly by,” Bonta concluded.
The town has not responded to the attorney general.
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