From: Russell Neal
To: [email protected]
Subject: Housing Element
Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026 4:52:38 PM
I commend this council for standing up for its residents, and more importantly, the fundamentals of constitutional government, by challenging the state's RHNA process as a violation of our Charter City rights under the California Constitution and the principle of subsidiarity.
I am not surprised at our losses given the makeup of the courts in a one-party state and the reluctance of federal courts to wade into city-state controversies. I support the effort nonetheless as a high priority fight for principle and for our quality of life.
I suggest filing a compliant Housing Element under protest, continuing to assert our position as correct.
I also suggest that council members who are required to sign the finding or overriding interest under duress file their own challenges to this violation of their first amendment rights as individuals in federal court.
It is one thing for the federal courts to ignore these rights if they are seen as the rights of a city against a state and another thing if they are seen as the rights of individual American citizens against a state government.
Russ Neal
Huntington Beach
03/03/2026
Closed Session - (26-222)