{"id":484442,"date":"2026-01-14T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?p=484442"},"modified":"2026-01-15T09:06:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T17:06:28","slug":"2026-housing-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_ko\/politics\/2026\/01\/2026-housing-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"Building homes is a top priority for California Democrats again this year. Voters could get a say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\uc694\uc57d\ud574\uc11c<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

California Democrats are eager to advance a pair of bond measures to fund affordable housing construction, but lack enthusiasm for tenant rights protections as a controversial rent control measure bites the dust for a second straight year. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n

California lawmakers showed historic enthusiasm for the abundance movement last year as they passed sweeping housing laws that roll back landmark environmental reviews for most urban developments and allow denser housing near transit \u2014 ambitious endeavors that would have gotten nowhere just a few years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, housing advocates are trying to seize the moment again, particularly in the last year in office for the pro-building Gov. Gavin Newsom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just days after returning to work, state lawmakers are already advancing a $10 billion bond that stalled last year to pay for new and existing affordable homes. The proposal, Senate Bill 417<\/a>, cleared the Senate Housing Committee by an 8-1 vote last week and heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee next week. Lawmakers are seeking to put the measure on the June primary ballot, which would require the governor to sign it into law by Jan. 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose homes don’t build themselves, and it’s time to finish the job,\u201d said Sen. Chris Cabaldon<\/a>, a Napa Democrat who authored the legislation, during a hearing last week. \u201cTo unlock the full promise of these reforms requires cash. It requires sufficient capital, as it always has, to move these affordable housing projects from approval and permitting to construct.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bond measure would allocate $7 billion toward the state\u2019s Multifamily Housing Program, which issues low-interest loans to build and maintain permanent and transitional rental housing for lower-income households. It also includes $2 billion for wildfire prevention, rental assistance and affordable housing for low-income tenants and farmworkers, as well as $1 billion in low-income first-time home buyer assistance, including help with down payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The committee also approved a separate bond proposal to pay for housing for homeless youths, although lawmakers are looking to combine the bond measures. Sen. \uce90\ub864\ub77c\uc778 \uba58\uc9c0\ubc14\ub974<\/a>, a Van Nuys Democrat who authored the proposal, said she\u2019d \u201ccouch surfed\u201d at age 19 when she became unhoused for a year and half. The money would help reduce homelessness by offering relief earlier in people\u2019s lives, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an investment that is really going to help us save money down the line,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Homes under construction in the Dixon Trail neighborhood of Escondido on April 24, 2025. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The legislative appetite for housing bonds indicates another good year for pro-abundance advocates. They\u2019ve already got the ear of the governor, who declared himself an ally of the \u201cYes In My Back Yard\u201d movement by signing a flurry of bills last year to fast-track housing production, which the governor touted in his State of the State address<\/a> last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the governor said, the Legislature should focus on reducing the cost of construction, \u201cutilizing new building methods and technology\u201d and passing \u201cworker-centered reforms that bring our brothers and sisters in labor along with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February, Sen. Jesse Arregu\u00edn<\/a> of Oakland, a renter who\u2019s big on fast-tracking housing <\/a>construction, will take the helm of the Senate Housing Committee. He will replace Sen. \uc544\uc774\uc0e4 \uc640\ud558\ube0c<\/a>, a fellow renter and Fremont Democrat who has long criticized new construction without protection for low-income tenants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill to curb rent increase dies<\/strong> again<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But efforts to champion tenant protections hit a major snag Tuesday when a controversial rent control proposal died in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Assembly Bill 1157<\/a>, introduced last year to further restrict how much landlords can raise the rent each year, failed to get enough votes Tuesday despite being authored by the committee chair, Democratic Assemblymember Ash Kalra<\/a> of San Jose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill, sponsored by the tenant rights group Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, would have tied the annual rent increase rate to the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation, and capped it for most rental homes at 5%, instead of 10% under current state law. As a compromise, Kalra narrowed the bill on Tuesday to exclude single-family home tenants from the proposed rental relief in hopes of securing passage. Individual landlords of single-family homes aren\u2019t subject to rent control under state law.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTenants need a permanent solution, not a temporary fix,\u201d Kalra said during Tuesday\u2019s hearing.  \u201cIf we don\u2019t act with urgency to help our tenants in crisis, we are going to continue to contribute to the risk of homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal stalled last year amid strong headwinds from a coalition of landlords and realtors led by the California Apartments Association. They argued Tuesday that the measure would discourage investment in rental housing and squeeze small landlords. Voters have rejected past rent control ballot measures, such as Proposition 10 in 2018 and Proposition 33<\/a> in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The measure needed seven votes to advance but only got four, all from Democrats. All three Republican committee members voted against the bill. Five other Democrats \u2014 assemblymembers Rick Zbur<\/a> of Los Angeles, Blanca Pacheco<\/a> of Downey, Diane Papan<\/a> of San Mateo, Catherine Stefani<\/a> of San Francisco and \ub808\ubca0\uce74 \ubc14\uc6b0\uc5b4-\uce74\ud55c<\/a> of San Ramon \u2014 did not cast a vote, which effectively counts as a no vote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That shows the power and influence of moneyed interests.”<\/p>Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat who represents San Jose<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some of them, such as Zbur and Bauer-Kahan, expressed concerns during the hearing that the proposed law could hurt landlords. Rent hikes are caused by the state\u2019s housing shortage, they argued, and the Legislature should instead focus on building more housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Echoing similar concerns, Stefani\u2019s spokesperson, Daniel Herzstein, said in a statement that a lower rent cap would risk squeezing small landlords who already face rising costs. Pacheco was unsure how the bill would affect mom-and-pop property owners, said her spokesperson Alina Evans. Papan\u2019s office did not immediately return a CalMatters\u2019 request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lidya Morales, a 53-year-old single mom from San Diego with three kids, said her monthly rent increased from $1,300 in 2022 to $2,000 last year. She works at three different hotels to afford it, she said. Without the proposed rental relief, she said she fears getting priced out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to live in my car with my kids,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the bill\u2019s defeat, hundreds of tenants affiliated with ACCE broke into chants in protest. \u201cHousing is a human right!\u201d Some yelled. Others screamed \u201cshame\u201d at the near-empty committee dais after most lawmakers ducked out after the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kalra told CalMatters that the bill failed because \u201cwe are listening to these wealthy landowners and apartment owners and not those that are literally struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that shows the power and influence of moneyed interests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taming unintended consequences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apart from unveiling ambitious proposals, state lawmakers this year must also figure out how to clean up after new housing policies like Senate Bill 79<\/a>, a controversial law authored by Sen. \uc2a4\ucf67 \uc704\ub108<\/a> of San Francisco that overrides local zoning restrictions to allow apartment buildings up to seven stories near major transit stations in metro areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers passed the law narrowly last year after it went through 13 rounds<\/a> of amendments to quell criticism from a coalition of interest groups and state lawmakers<\/a>, who sought more stringent environmental reviews, labor protections, affordable units and local control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But critics say the resulting law still has unintended consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile home park residents<\/a> in the Bay Area who live close to transit lines say the law makes them vulnerable to displacement by allowing their parks to be redeveloped into apartment complexes, a loophole that Wiener himself acknowledged. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\uc774 \uae30\uc0ac\uc5d0 \uc5b8\uae09\ub41c \uc785\ubc95\uc790\ub4e4\uc5d0 \ub300\ud574 \uc790\uc138\ud788 \uc54c\uc544\ubcf4\uc138\uc694.<\/p>\n

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Christopher Cabaldon<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 3 <\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Jesse Arregu\u00edn<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 7 (Oakland)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

\uc2a4\ucf67 \uc704\ub108<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 11 (San Francisco)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

\uce90\ub864\ub77c\uc778 \uba58\uc9c0\ubc14\ub974<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Senate, District 20 (Van Nuys)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

\uc544\uc774\uc0e4 \uc640\ud558\ube0c<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 10 (Fremont)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

\ub808\ubca0\uce74 \ubc14\uc6b0\uc5b4-\uce74\ud55c<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 16 (San Ramon)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Catherine Stefani<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 19 (San Francisco)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Diane Papan<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 21 (San Mateo)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Ash Kalra<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 25 (San Jose)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Rick Chavez Zbur<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 51 (Los Angeles)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

Blanca Pacheco<\/p>\n

Democrat, State Assembly, District 64 (Downey)<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Gail Rubino, a resident at the El Dorado Mobile Home Park in Sunnyvale, said at least 36 parks in six of the state\u2019s most populous counties will be affected by the new law. If all were allowed to be redeveloped, more than 5,400 people would be displaced, she estimates. A new bill<\/a> from Wahab, whose district includes many of the parks, seeks to shield mobile home parks from redevelopment into transit-oriented housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis lack of protection threatens existing affordable housing stock that SB 79 seeks to increase,\u201d Rubino told lawmakers last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SB79 has caused confusion among local officials, who say the law is so vague that they cannot even agree on which counties it applies to. While Wiener has said it\u2019s his intent to apply the new law to eight of the state\u2019s most urban counties, local government associations insist only four fit the bill. Some local government agencies say they are afraid to adopt new zoning maps without clear guidance, worried it would result in litigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wiener said he will introduce new legislation later this year to clarify how counties should implement the new law. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tREAD NEXT<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t
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Gavin Newsom forecasts a rosier California budget and banks on AI boom continuing<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Newsom casts California as a foil to the Trump agenda in his final State of the State<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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