NEWS & UPDATES
From the LeSar Portfolio of Firms
April 2026 Newsletter
Consolidated Plan Support in California’s Central Valley Shows Need to Address Affordable Housing and Homelessness Challenges
As the new Federal administration budget negotiations continue, localities need continued support to prepare their Consolidated Plans, comprehensive planning documents required by the U.S. [...]
Looking Back on 2025 and Moving Forward to 2026
As we reflect on the events of 2025, we see both significant headwinds and continued opportunities for those committed to expanding stable, safe, and affordable [...]
California State Legislature Passes Housing and Homelessness Bills Focused on Boosting Production
California’s State Legislature passed a flurry of housing and homelessness bills by September 13, the last day of this year’s legislative session, despite multiple competing [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
What We’re Reading
REPORTS / RESOURCES
Thinking About the Growing Housing Affordability Problem: A Primer for Sound Policy | Brookings Institute | March 2026
2026 California Legislative Preview | UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation | March 2026
Curbing Fees: How States and Cities are Addressing Up-Front Rental Costs | Harvard Joint Center for Housing | March 2026
Assessing the Potential of Transit Agency-Owned Land for Housing Development in California | Enterprise Community Partners | March 2026
Where the Road Ends: Permanent Supportive Housing Outcomes and Moving On | National Alliance to End Homelessness | February 2026
ARTICLES/MEDIA
Putting the ‘lord’ In ‘Landlord’: US Churches Step Up to Build Housing Amid Shortage | The Guardian | March 29, 2026
A New Homelessness Strategy is Sweeping California | CalMatters | March 25, 2026
Development Gives Residents a Financial Stake | Affordable Housing Finance | March 19, 2026
Even Low-Risk Homes Are Caught Up in California’s Climate-Driven Insurance Crisis | LA Times | March 18, 2026
Austin’s Surge of New Housing Construction Drove Down Rents | Pew Center | March 18, 2026
A Pet‑Friendly Homeless Shelter Pilot Reduced the Rate of Homelessness Among the People it Helped in California | The Conversation | March 16, 2026
The Bittersweet Path to the Housing Crisis — and How to Find Our Way Home | Planetizen | March 16, 2026
Seattle Social Housing Developer Wins New Tool from State Lawmakers | The Urbanist | March 14, 2026
10 Projects from Newsom’s Mental Health Bond Were Supposed to Open in 2025. That Didn’t Happen | CalMatters | March 12, 2026
California Has 40,000 Affordable Housing Units Ready to Break Ground. One Setback is Holding Them Up | CalMatters | March 9, 2026