6DCA Oral Argument - 2026/09/10 Afternoon Session - Sep 10, 2026
argument6DCA Oral Argument - 2026/09/10 Afternoon Session
California Sixth District Court of Appeal
1h 17m
8 chapters
transcribed 12 days ago
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Transcript
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What is the case and who are the parties involved in this oral argument?
The Honourable Frederick S.
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for your courtesy and please have a seat. He'll just give us a few minutes to get situated.
All right, calling our first two matters on calendar, this is H zero five two six seven five and H zero five two nine four six, California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund and others. Версус кекати в Сан Клра і адрес. May I have appearances then starting with uh the appellants.
Thank you, Your Honor, Alex
Gorse for the appellants. Good afternoon. And Mr. Gorse, can you just confirm you wanted to split your time ten and five? Yes, that's correct. All right, thank you.
Ekta Daria, Deputy County Council for the respondents.
All right.
And I request fifteen minutes.
Good afternoon. Thank you. All right, with that, Mr. Gorse, why don't you please proceed?
Thank you, Your Honor. California has a severe shortage of housing due to stringent local restrictions on new housing development. This case is about two Santa Clara County ordinances that are making the uh problem worse in ways the legislature has expressly prohibited. That is, they are making the problem worse through the enactment of new, more restrictive lot configuration rules that make it functionally impossible. for landowners to subdivide large lots as a means of gradually increasing the housing supply over time. Each of the regulatory changes at issue here, which consist of tighter setback, frontage, which basically means lot width, or and lot coverage rules, each of those three regulatory changes is expressly prohibited by the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, unless absent offsetting reductions.
uh of of land use elsewhere. The county has never claimed that any statutory exception Um uh uh actually applies here, and there's no evidence in the record that would support such a claim in any event. Instead, the county insists in so many words that neither the legislature nor housing consumers from outside the rezoned area. Have any business meddling? In what the county portrays as a purely local matter. I'm going to address that argument as it relates to each of the three substantive issues here on appeal, that is appellate standing, the constitutionality of the HCA, and the trial court's extreme deference to the county on questions of both law and fact. So since standing is a threshold question, I'm gonna take that first.
The trial court held and the county maintains on appeal that the doctrine of public interest standing does not apply here. Because the county's down zoning ordinances apply only to a single faculty neighborhood on the Stanford campus. The county and the trial court are wrong that housing restrictions on the Stanford campus don't affect the broader public. The undisputed evidence in in the record establishes that there's nowhere near enough housing on the Stanford campus for all faculty who would like to live there. The county's own general plan states that any housing on any Stanford lands in any jurisdiction augments the regional housing supply. And um Professor Schatz himself repeatedly explained to the county uh that this shortage of on campus housing sends faculty out into the broader housing market uh to seek housing elsewhere where they drive up costs for others by bidding up the price of that housing.
That effect on the regional housing market is why this case falls within the ambit of the public interest standing doctrine. Just like in Stocks versus City of Irvine, where the 4th District concluded that Los Angeles residents had standing to challenge the City of Irvine's restrictive zoning practices, that's the case here. Uh those practice the practices at issue here have raised the appellants' housing costs outside Irvine by adversely affecting the regional housing market. It's well established that a party seeking only mandamus relief, as is the case here. has standing where his or her claims implicate a sharp public duty that is addressed to a weighty public need. Our briefs explain in great detail why the Housing Crisis Act imposes a sharp public duty on on the county that is addressed to the
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the case and who are the parties involved in this oral argument?
1:02–13:23
2
How does the appellant argue that the Housing Crisis Act preempts the county’s zoning ordinances?
13:23–24:04
3
Why does the appellant claim the county should have public‑interest standing to challenge the ordinances?
24:04–32:20
4
What statutory‑interpretation issues does the court consider regarding setbacks, frontage, and lot‑coverage?
32:20–41:55
5
How does the court evaluate the standard of review for the trial court’s findings of fact and law?
41:55–51:30
6
What are the key arguments presented in the second appeal concerning the validity of the will?
51:30–59:38
7
Why does the respondent argue that there is no undue‑influence evidence against the caregiver?
59:38–1:07:58
8
What conclusion does the court reach on both appeals and what are the next steps?
1:07:58–1:16:49
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