SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed 56 bills into law that incentivize and reduce barriers to housing and support the development of more affordable homes. This legislation streamlines housing developments, allows institutions like colleges and religious organizations to use portions of their property to build housing, and continues a state statute used to hold local communities accountable for their fair share of housing.

Since taking office, Governor Newsom and the Legislature have invested $30 billion in affordable housing production and enacted dozens of CEQA reforms into law. In addition, Governor Newsom championed the creation of the Housing Accountability Unit at the California Department of Housing and Community Development to make sure cities and counties fulfill their legal responsibilities to plan and permit their fair share of housing. This focus on accountability has in part led to a 15-year high in housing starts in California.

 “It’s simple math – California needs to build more housing and ensure the housing we have is affordable. In partnership with the Legislature, we have advanced billions of dollars to that end. These 56 bills build on that work, supporting tenants and ensuring cities are held accountable to plan for and permit their fair share of housing,” said Governor Newsom.

“California desperately needs to ramp up housing production, and the Governor’s actions today help put us on a path to achieve that goal,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). “The era of saying no to housing is coming to an end. We’ve been planting seeds for years to get California to a brighter housing future, and today we’re continuing strongly down that path.”