As we kick off the second year of California’s 2025–26 legislative session, it’s already clear that things are moving at full speed. Bill language is being negotiated, major policy conversations are unfolding, and the political landscape—both in Sacramento and in Washington—is heating up fast.
Of great interest to us are the Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation sessions that Assemblymember Buffy Wicks is holding on construction innovation. The things discussed represent an exciting moment for California’s affordable housing sector. These hearings zeroed in on the long‑standing productivity challenges in construction and the state’s interest in supporting modular, prefab, and industrialized building methods.
We were thrilled to see so many CCAH members participating as witnesses, demonstrating the ingenuity and forward‑thinking already happening within our community, from modular construction to factory‑built housing and new financing approaches.
You can watch the first hearing here and the second one here. They are each almost 3 hours long but worth the watch. If you prefer, our lobby team did these excellent summaries that you can access here for hearing 1 and here for hearing 2.
On the Political Action Committee front, we officially endorsed Malia Cohen for State Controller, a role she’s held since November 2022. She was elected as Controller following her service on the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), where she was responsible for administering California’s $100 billion property tax system. As chief fiscal officer of the world’s fifth-largest economy, Controller Cohen’s primary responsibility is to account for and protect the state’s financial resources. The Controller is one of eight statewide constitutional officials who are elected every four years in California. She’s been a great ally for us and we are proud to support her again.
Of course, you will also have heard that State Senator Scott Wiener is running for Congress, seeking the seat long held by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Assemblyman Matt Haney is rumored to be considering a run for Wiener’s seat and Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, has already declared herself a candidate for the seat as well. At the same time, the field for California’s 2026 Governor’s race remains crowded and dynamic. There are others, but Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond, Chad Bianco, Eric Swalwell, Tom Steyer and Steve Hilton seem to be the ones with the most name recognition. Rick Caruso, widely rumored to be mulling entering the race, announced today he would seek neither the Governor’s seat nor the mayoral seat in Los Angeles. With no clear frontrunner and voter preferences still widely dispersed, we expect this race to remain highly fluid for the next little while.
So, there’s all that and it’s only January 16th!
I would be remiss if I didn’t close with the importance of Membership. Having your voice lifted with ours strengthens our ability to create positive change and ensures we can continue to fight for policies that make affordable housing possible in California. Membership in CCAH runs on a calendar year basis, and your participation is essential to our success. Thank you to all members who have already renewed or joined for 2026! If you haven’t yet renewed, please note that invoices were sent out shortly before the end of the year. Payment is easy. You may send us a check, pay online, or ask us for our ACH information—whatever works best for you. If you are not yet a member, we’d love to have you. You can give us a call with questions or join here online.
In partnership and growth,
Executive Director, California Council for Affordable Housing