As a condition of receiving funds pursuant to this chapter, an eligible city or county shall submit a housing element to the department in accordance with the requirements of Article 10.6 (commencing with Section 65580) of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code. However, except as otherwise provided in Section 50830, no application for funds shall be denied because of the content of the housing element or because of the findings made by the department pursuant to Section 65585 of the Government Code.