The City of Escalon was among the communities singled out by Governor Gavin Newsom, through the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), that have failed to adhere to housing law requirements to plan for housing that meets the needs of all income levels.

A total of 15 cities and counties across the state were reported to be more than 60 days away from securing a certified housing element. They have 30 days to respond to the Notices of Violation before HCD takes further action, including referral to the Attorney General.

“We can confirm that the City received a Notice of Violation from the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on March 24, 2026,” said Escalon City Manager Jaylen French. “The letter states that, ‘the City has until April 23, 2026, to provide a written response to this notice before HCD takes any of the actions authorized by section 65585, including but not limited to, referral to the California Office of the Attorney General.’ The City is currently drafting this written response and plans to submit well before the deadline.”

French added that the letter requests coordination in the next 30 days and city officials have already scheduled a meeting with HCD for early April.

Under California state housing law, every community must adopt a housing plan — known as a housing element — that demonstrates how they intend to meet regional housing needs for residents at all income levels, and must submit that plan to HCD for review. With HCD’s guidance and technical assistance, coupled with enforcement, 92 percent of California communities have attained housing element compliance in the sixth cycle. The recent action addresses 15 cities and counties that remain out of compliance – beginning a final push to ensure that every California community has a plan to support housing for all income levels.

The 15 jurisdictions that received Notices of Violation this past week were: Atwater, Avenal, California City, Corcoran, Escalon, Half Moon Bay, Hanford, Kings County, Lemoore, Merced County, Montclair, Oakdale, Patterson, Ridgecrest, and Turlock. HCD has previously entered court-enforced agreements with San Bernardino, Coronado, Fullerton, Malibu, La Habra Heights, Artesia, and Norwalk, and is in active litigation against Huntington Beach, regarding housing element compliance.

“According to the State’s website, the City is receiving the NOV because it is more than 60 days from a compliant Housing Element. The City has been working with HCD since mid-2023 and have, to date, submitted three unique drafts to HCD for their consideration, addressing each point in their prior comments,” noted French. “Unfortunately, HCD’s increasing and evolving requests have not yet been fully satisfied, though we are very close.”

French said the city is being deliberate in addressing the situation.

“Each round of comments requires careful analysis and revisions to ensure the document is compliant and in line with the City’s specific conditions and constraints,” the city manager said. “We anticipate releasing a final draft in the coming weeks, and scheduling before the Planning Commission and the City Council for adoption in the coming months.”

The state announcement, he admitted, wasn’t something local officials anticipated.

“The City has always desired to hold a compliant Housing Element, and to work with HCD to achieve that goal. We were surprised by the letter as we have been in active discussions with the state on the plan and its timing,” stated French. “We will note, per the California State Auditor, that local jurisdictions’ housing element review process for the sixth cycle was significantly longer than the fifth cycle due to changes in state housing law and associated additional analysis required, and HCD understaffing and staffing turnover; and that agencies are submitting more drafts to HCD to get to a compliant plan in this cycle. Nevertheless, and despite our different views on housing, the City continues to work diligently and closely with HCD to adopt a housing element that meets state requirements while reflecting the local context.”