California’s state housing laws are beginning to generate housing, with 20 large proposed or master-planned housing developments across the state representing over 273,000 housing units, demonstrating the state’s efforts to address the housing crisis.
A new proposal to build 768 housing units in downtown San Jose adds to California’s growing housing development pipeline, demonstrating that large, high-yield projects are needed to close the state’s housing production gap.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced over $865 million in new housing, transportation, and climate-resilience investments funded by payments from major polluters under California’s cap-and-invest program, which will support thousands of new affordable homes, major green transportation upgrades, and community-level climate resilience projects.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has appointed Assemblymember Buffy Wicks to chair a newly created Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation to examine ways to reduce housing costs, speed construction, and align housing production with the state’s climate goals.
Despite the passage of dozens of new laws, California’s housing crisis remains far from solved, but the foundation for a new housing era has been laid and progress is being made through small projects and a shift in the political culture to favor building rather than blocking.
California’s 2025 legislative session delivered meaningful progress on housing, but mounting regulatory and cost barriers continue to undermine the state’s competitiveness, according to Orange County Business Council President and CEO Jeffrey Ball.
California has quietly shifted its housing policy over the past five years to favor housing production, with CEQA reform, SB 423’s continued streamlining, Prohousing incentives, and an empowered HCD now working to strip away red tape and encourage more housing production.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two housing bills, SB 786 and SB 808, aimed at cutting red tape and accelerating housing construction, which will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 79, which cuts red tape, holds local governments accountable, and expands access to affordable housing near public transportation stops, in order to reduce costs, strengthen transit systems, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 484, creating a 10-year pilot program to streamline the coastal development permitting process for 100% affordable infill housing in coastal cities, in an effort to address California’s severe housing shortage while maintaining environmental protections.
California’s housing growth over the past five years has been among the slowest in the country, contributing to the state’s ongoing affordability crisis, with the typical Californian paying $2,280 a month for housing, 70% above the national average.
The YIMBY movement has shifted the narrative in California’s housing debate, pushing for more housing construction and resulting in the passage of SB 79, which allows for taller, denser buildings near major bus stops and transit lines.
California households are facing the highest housing cost burdens in the nation, with one in five spending more than half of their income on shelter, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the award of over $414 million to support the development of 2,099 homes, with 2,068 reserved for low- to extremely low-income Californians, as part of his strategy to boost affordability and tackle homelessness.
Senate Bill 79, authored by Senator Scott Wiener, has passed the California Legislature and is now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, and aims to expand access to affordable housing by legalizing midrise, multifamily housing near major transit stops while protecting rent-stabilized apartments.
California lawmakers passed two landmark housing bills, SB 79 and CEQA reform, to address the state’s housing crisis, but their impact remains to be seen due to structural realities and local political resistance.
The California State Senate passed the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, which will allow more homes to be built near major public transportation stops and on land owned by transit agencies, in an effort to address the state’s affordability crisis.
The California Assembly passed SB 79, a bill that would allow more housing near public transportation, reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, increase transit ridership and affordability, and streamline approval processes for transit-oriented development.
Greenbelt Alliance is supporting Senate Bill 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, which would make it easier and faster to build new homes near major transit stops, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create a more affordable and resilient California.
California’s housing construction permits have fallen sharply in 2025, with the state issuing 49,400 permits for new housing in the first half of the year, the lowest level since 2014, due to elevated mortgage rates and economic uncertainty.