March 12, 2026
Dear Speaker Rivas,
Thank you for the opportunity to attend your Legislative Day on February 25. I greatly appreciated the invitation and the chance to hear directly about your priorities as well as from other legislators. The dialogue and engagement were both informative and encouraging.
I am writing to respectfully request your leadership in considering a temporary pause on the passage of new housing legislation while the Legislature undertakes a comprehensive review of the significant body of housing laws enacted in recent years. Your suggestion to examine what is working and what is not within our existing statutory framework is both timely and prudent.
Over the past several years, nearly 150 housing-related bills have been signed into law, with approximately 50 new housing measures enacted in 2025 alone. Many of the 2025 measures went into effect with the Governor’s approval of the budget. This extraordinary pace reflects the Legislature’s strong commitment to addressing California’s housing challenges. However, the volume and speed of these changes have created substantial implementation pressures for local governments charged with carrying them out.
City governments across the state are increasingly overwhelmed by the continuous stream of new housing legislation introduced and enacted each legislative cycle. Planning departments, housing divisions, and legal teams are working diligently to interpret, integrate, and operationalize new requirements, often while prior mandates are still in early stages of implementation. The result is a growing strain on administrative capacity, limited opportunity to evaluate outcomes, and difficulty ensuring consistent and effective application of state policy.
Our state and regional agencies are attempting to provide technical assistance related to implementation but that is also delayed with the quantity of new mandates. Guidance on implementation often comes six months to a year after the mandate is in effect.
A deliberate pause would not signal retreat from the state’s housing goals. Rather, it would demonstrate a commitment to thoughtful governance and evidence-based policymaking. Taking the next two years to refrain from enacting additional housing statutes would provide the Legislature, in partnership with local governments and stakeholders, with the opportunity to:
• Review housing laws passed within the last four years • Evaluate measurable outcomes and unintended consequences • Identify redundancies, conflicts, or areas requiring clarification • Assess administrative and fiscal impacts on local jurisdictions • Strengthen and refine existing statutes where necessary
Such a review would help ensure that California’s housing framework is coherent, effective, and sustainable. It would also allow local municipalities to focus on full and faithful implementation of existing mandates rather than continuously adjusting to new ones.
Your leadership in advancing a structured review process could foster collaboration between the State and local governments, strengthen public confidence, and ultimately produce more durable and impactful housing policy.
Thank you for your continued commitment to addressing California’s housing needs and for considering this request. I appreciate your thoughtful attention to this matter and your ongoing service to the people of California.
Sincerely,
Mark Turner
Mayor