NEWS & UPDATES
From the LeSar Portfolio of Firms
June 2025 Newsletter
Continuing Resolution Likely to Extend Federal Budget Negotiations Past March
Lawmakers have until midnight on March 14, 2025, to pass a final FY 25 spending agreement, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune has recently indicated the high likelihood of [...]
Notable New State Bills Tackle Streamlining, RHNA, and Housing Finance
Friday, February 21, 2025, marked the deadline for bills that lawmakers in the State Capitol could introduce. This was the first year that leaders in the Legislature imposed introduction [...]
Seattle Social Housing Developer Builds Greater Momentum Around Social Housing
In February, the City of Seattle voters approved Proposition 1A to fund the previously approved Seattle Social Housing Developer, a public development authority that will create social housing in Seattle. [...]
Strategic Growth Council (SGC) Factory-Built Housing RFI
The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is seeking developers, jurisdictions, and other market participants’ input related to the factory-built housing (FBH) landscape in California. The SGC recognizes factory-built housing (FBH) [...]
Governor’s 2025 Budget Proposal
Governor Newsom highlighted the state's housing progress as part of his 2025 budget proposal. Under the Surplus Land Act of 2021, over 30,000 new units have been added to [...]
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