The Legislature is heating back up—and so is Sacramento. CCAH’s two sponsored bills have officially been introduced and now head into the long road of policy committee hearings, fiscal review, and ultimately the Governor’s desk before their final fate is decided. Expect regular updates on our bills as they move through each stage of the legislative process.

Spring recess for legislators begins March 30, and when they return on April 6, policy committees will be in full swing. Lawmakers will have just three weeks to hear more than a thousand bills before key deadlines, making April a fast‑paced and critical period at the Capitol.

Election season also remains highly competitive. A recent Emerson College poll shows Congressman Eric Swalwell leading the open primary field with 17% support, followed by Steve Hilton at 13%. Tom Steyer and Chad Bianco are tied at 11%, Katie Porter comes in at 8%, and both Antonio Villaraigosa and Xavier Becerra register at 3%. Notably, 25% of voters remain undecided. The poll was released two weeks after California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks publicly urged candidates polling in the low single digits to exit the race so Democrats could begin consolidating around a single candidate, rather than continuing with a crowded field of seven Democrats. While many candidates responded by doubling down on their campaigns, former Assemblymember Ian Calderon was the lone candidate to step aside.

At the federal level, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act has moved from the Senate to the House, where it may still be amended. The outlook is generally positive, as the bill includes provisions to raise the Public Welfare Investment (PWI) cap from 15% to 20%, streamline environmental reviews, and lift the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) cap. However, it does not address fixes to the Housing Credit related to forced sales of build‑to‑rent properties under the institutional investor ban, nor does it include any provisions related to Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act . Meanwhile, the White House has taken executive action, with President Trump issuing two executive orders aimed at improving housing affordability.

Executive Order on Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction
The order directs multiple federal agencies to streamline or eliminate environmental, energy, historic‑preservation, and permitting regulations that slow housing construction and raise building costs. It also incentivizes state and local governments to adopt faster permitting, relax certain building mandates, and encourage innovative construction methods to expand housing supply and improve affordability.

Executive Order on Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit
The order reduces regulatory and compliance burdens on community banks and smaller lenders to expand access to mortgages for creditworthy borrowers, particularly first‑time, rural, and moderate‑income buyers. It modernizes mortgage rules by easing appraisal requirements, updating capital and liquidity standards, improving digital mortgage processes, and refocusing supervision on sound underwriting rather than procedural technicalities.