NEWS & UPDATES
From the LeSar Portfolio of Firms
June 2025 Newsletter
Trump Administration Actions Continue to Impact Housing and Homelessness
The Trump administration continues to adopt policies and implement changes that have a drastic impact on housing and homelessness, driven by its cost-cutting and bureaucracy reduction efforts. Meanwhile, other lawmakers [...]
Continuing Resolution Keeps Most Funding Level Through September 2025
Following dramatic budget negotiations, Congress passed and President Trump signed a continuing resolution (CR) that averted a potential government shutdown and keeps the government open through September 2025, which [...]
State Bills Continue to Be Amended and Heard in Committees
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas kicked off the 2025-26 California legislative session in January with a very public commitment to combat the state's soaring cost of living. So far, this [...]
Status of the Governor’s Reorganization Plan for a California and Housing and Homelessness Agency
The Governor’s 2025-26 Budget Summary, released in January, proposed the creation of a California Housing and Homelessness Agency and a California Consumer Protection Agency using the formal governmental reorganization [...]
New HUD Secretary Leading Drastic Program and Staff Cuts at HUD
With the confirmation of Scott Turner, a former developer and Texas state legislator, as the new Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the [...]
What We’re Reading
REPORTS / RESOURCES
Governor Newsom Releases State Model for Cities and Counties to Immediately Address Encampments with Urgency and Dignity | Office of Governor Gavin Newsom | 2025
Understanding the Governor’s 2025-26 May Revision | California Budget and Policy Center | May 2025
Infrastructure’s Role in Housing Development | National League of Cities | May 2025 (paywalled)
Supporting the Implementation of CalAIM within Permanent Supportive Housing | Terner Center for Housing | May 2025
Displaced by Design: Fifty Years of Gentrification and Black Cultural Displacement in US Cities | National Community Reinvestment Coalition | May 2025
ARTICLES/MEDIA
After a Pandemic Downturn, U.S. Cities are Growing Again. That’s Good News for This Economy | Marketplace | May 22, 2025
FHFA’s Bill Pulte Turns Up the Heat on FICO | HousingWire | May 21, 2025
Why California’s Biggest Local Effort to Fight Homelessness is Starting All Over Again | CalMatters | May 20, 2025
‘They want more?’ State Farm increases California Home Insurance Rate Hike Request to 30% | San Francisco Chronicle | May 20, 2025
In a State with a Dire Affordable Housing Shortage, Does the Coachella Valley Offer Hope? | Los Angeles Times | May 19, 2025
Does Building Homes Lead to Lower Housing Costs? New Research is Roiling the Debate | San Francisco Chronicle | May 17, 2025
Here’s How Many Homes Downtown S.F. Office Conversions Might Create Under New Incentives | San Francisco Chronicle | May 16, 2025
“Peers, Partners, and Equals”: How a Tiny California Nonprofit Gets Unhoused People Back on Their Feet | Mother Jones | May 15, 2025
Newsom Throws Support Behind Housing Proposals to Ease Construction and Reform Permitting Restrictions | Los Angeles Times | May 14, 2025
What’s Happened with Housing Since Trump Came Into Office | Shelterforce | May 12, 2025