HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — A judge on Friday dismissed California’s lawsuit against the city of Huntington Beach over a local measure that allows officials to require voter identification at the polls.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas ruled that existing state law does not block the local measure, which was approved by voters earlier this year. The ruling could clear the way for the majority Republican city to implement one of California’s only voter ID requirements at the polls in local elections.

“It’s a massive black eye for the state of California,” City Attorney Michael Gates said of the ruling. “And what the state of California needs to know, if they haven’t already, is that Huntington Beach will not be intimidated or deterred.”

Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said in a statement to The Associated Press that Friday’s decision “does not address the merits of the case.”

“We continue to believe that Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy clearly violates state law and will respond appropriately in court,” the office added.

Residents of the coastal city of Huntington Beach voted in March for an election measure that would allow local officials to require voter identification at the polls starting in 2026. It would also allow the city to increase in-person polling places and monitor ballot boxes in local elections.

A month later, Bonta filed a lawsuit, saying the measure approved in the city of nearly 200,000 people violates state law and could make it harder for poor, non-white, young, elderly and disabled voters to vote.

In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed into state law a measure that prohibits local governments in California from enacting and enforcing laws requiring residents to provide identification to vote in elections. The law was a direct response to Huntington Beach’s law, but it doesn’t go into effect until next year.

It’s not clear how the new state law would affect the lawsuit and the local measure.

Gates, the elected Huntington Beach city attorney, has said the city has the authority to take election-related actions under the state constitution and will defend the decisions of local voters.

It remained unclear how the local measure would be implemented. In California, voters can vote in person and also by returning ballots to drop boxes or by mail. Orange County Registrar Bob Page, who declined to comment on the lawsuit, previously said the city could conduct its own local elections or consolidate its elections with state general elections and receive services from the county registrar.

Huntington Beach, which has been dubbed “Surf City USA” and known for its scenic shoreline lined with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the actions it can take under its city charter on topics ranging from immigration to housing.

The City Council, led by a politically conservative majority, put the voter ID measure on the ballot after making hotly contested decisions on topics ranging from flag raising to removing books from the children’s section of the public library because of concerns about the material.

While Democrats outnumber Republicans in Orange County, the GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with more than 55,000 registered voters compared to 41,000 Democrats, county data show.