The city of Encinitas recently filed a lawsuit against 100 unnamed defendants of a resident-backed group called Preserve Proposition A in a claim to clarify whether future housing plans need to be held for a public vote. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal squabbles between Encinitas, housing advocates and the state of California as the city’s latest housing element was deemed compliant under state housing law by the Department of Housing and Community Development on Oct. 10.

Encinitas has a state-approved affordable housing plan, the city announced Oct. 10. The green light comes after several years of proposals and controversy over growth in Encinitas, from voter rejection of ballot measures to lawsuits.

“Community character” is a phrase that’s been batted about for months as Encinitas debates the shape of its state-mandated Housing Element, a plan that requires an accounting of how the city is going...