NEWS & UPDATES
From the LeSar Portfolio of Firms
August 2025 Newsletter
US House and Trump Administration FY 2026 Budget Proposals Pose Challenges to Housing and Homelessness
On July 24, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill, while earlier in July, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations [...]
Governor’s Reorganization Creates New Cabinet-Level Housing and Homelessness Agency
On July 11, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the creation of a new, standalone cabinet-level agency dedicated to solving the housing and homelessness crisis. The California Housing and Homelessness Agency (CHHA) will [...]
California Budget Trailer Bills Enable New CEQA Infill Housing Exemptions
Article Contributor: Jacqueline Woo, Senior Associate, Research & Policy, Global Policy Leadership AcademyAfter lengthy delays, numerous budget hearings, fierce lobbying, and speculation, AB 130 (Committee on Budget) and SB 131 [...]
Case Study from the Climate Smart Housing Collective Demonstrates the Importance of Facilitating Climate and Housing Agency Relationships
As climate change and housing remain top issues facing this country and globally, the most vulnerable communities are at the highest risk of being impacted by extreme weather events [...]
What We’re Reading
REPORTS / RESOURCES
Early Outcomes from the Los Angeles County Homelessness Prevention Unit | California Policy Lab | July 2025
Annual Trends Among the Unsheltered in Three Los Angeles Neighborhoods | RAND Corporation | July 2025
Locked Out: Why Homeownership is Out of Reach for Many Young Hispanic Families | Joint Center on Housing Studies | July 2025
Housing Policy and Poverty: The Case of California | Niskanen Center | July 2025
2025 State & Local Housing Trust Fund Report | National Low Income Housing Coalition | June 2025
Through the Roof: What Communities Can Do About the High Cost of Rental Housing in America | Lincoln Institute of Land Policy | June 2025
ARTICLES/MEDIA
A Fifth of California Homes are Investor-Owned as State’s Affordability Crisis Deepens | The Guardian | July 24, 2025
The Number of People Living on the Streets Dropped Nearly 10% Countywide This Year | LA Times | July 14, 2025
California, Epicenter of the Nation’s Housing Crisis, is Finally Getting a Housing Agency | CalMatters | July 11, 2025
Homelessness in California Used to be Much Worse. Here’s how L.A. Turned it Around | LA Times | July 10, 2025
Why 1 California Union Sided with YIMBYs and Developers on Housing | The Press Democrat | July 10, 2025
LIHTC Expansion Legislation Passes, Signed into Law | National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials | July 8, 2025
Construction Spending Drops for Fourth Straight Month | Construction Dive | July 7, 2025
Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Work, Study Finds | Shelterforce | July 3, 2025
Homeless Student Counts in California are Up. Some Say That’s a Good Thing | CalMatters | July 2, 2025
How Major New Housing Reform Will Affect Homebuilding in California | LA Times | July 1, 2025
Struggling Downtowns Are Looking to Lure New Crowds | Bloomberg CityLab | June 30, 2025
One of the Biggest Obstacles to Building New CA Housing has Now Vanished | CalMatters | June 30, 2025