It’s been five years since the California Legislature approved Senate Bill 35 to clear hurdles to housing construction. How much of its intentions has the law accomplished, and what should planners look for in the next few years?
When Gavin Newsom was running for California governor in 2017, he famously vowed to “lead the effort to build the 3.5 million new housing units we need by 2025.” Newsom conceded that the goal was “audacious” but argued that “our solutions must be as bold as the problem is big.”1 Everyone agreed that California’s housing problem was big. What drew skepticism was the prospect of building 3.5 million homes by 2025.
With many cities and local jurisdictions using zoning codes to slow housing development, policymakers at the state level are taking action to increase the housing supply.