SACRAMENTO, California – California filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles suburb on Monday, alleging that the city’s recent moratorium on homeless shelters and temporary housing violates the state’s fair housing and anti-discrimination laws.

The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom to address what he sees as local resistance and defiance of state laws in the face of California’s desperate need for new housing. The crisis has caused an increase in the homeless population in the most populous state in the country.

Norwalk, a city of 100,000 about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, becomes the latest city to face state legal action over housing policies. This came after the city council voted in September to extend its temporary ban on new homeless shelters and emergency housing.

In a recent statement, city councilors said Norwalk has done its part to address the homeless crisis, but past state programs, including one that places homeless people in motel rooms, have generated concerns about public safety. The moratorium, which will remain in effect until next year, already blocked a Los Angeles County plan in September to move homeless people into a city hotel.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that the city violated half a dozen housing laws by enacting the moratorium. He is asking the court to stop the city’s law.

“Our message is clear, our message is consistent,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday. “If local governments try to circumvent state housing laws, if they refuse to do the bare minimum to address the dire lack of affordable and accessible housing in California, we will hold them accountable.”

Monday’s lawsuit comes after Newsom publicly criticized Norwalk and urged local elected officials to reconsider the policy. In September, the state warned the city of possible legal action and last month revoked the city’s housing plan, effectively disqualifying it from receiving state funds for housing and homeless programs. Bonta said state officials also met with the city last week, but to no avail.

“The Norwalk City Council’s failure to repeal this ban, despite knowing it is illegal, is inexcusable,” Newsom said in a statement Monday. “No community should turn its back on its residents in need.”

The city’s mayor and a city spokesperson did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit.

California has stepped up enforcement of the state’s housing laws in recent years. Last year he sued at least two cities for rejecting affordable housing and homeless housing projects. Last month, Newsom also signed a package of 32 housing bills to make it easier for the state to go after local cities that challenge housing laws.

The lawsuit will likely intensify conflict between state and local governments over how many housing projects cities should approve and how quickly they should build them. California needs to build 2.5 million homes by 2030 to meet demand, according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. But the state only averages 100,000 new homes per year, including just 10,000 affordable units.

The Democratic governor, who has ambitions on the national stage, has made housing and homelessness a top priority as California’s leader. His administration has spent approximately $40 billion to help build affordable housing and $27 billion on homelessness solutions. Earlier this summer, he began pressuring local governments to clear encampments that lined crowded streets and business entrances, going so far as to threaten to withhold state funding next year if he doesn’t see results.