Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® Advocate on Behalf of Homeownership and Private Property Rights at the Capitol.

Thousands of REALTORS® from across the state gathered at the State Capitol for the 2025 California Association of REALTORS® Legislative Day. This annual event provided a valuable opportunity for REALTORS® to engage directly with state legislators and advocate for important policies that impact private property rights and the future of homeownership in California.

During the legislative meetings, members of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAOR) raised strong concerns about the expansion of extreme rent control AB1157 (Kalra). SCCAOR members emphasized that expanding rent control will create even more uncertainty for housing creators, misses the root cause of the housing crisis—which is a lack of supply—and defies the will of voters, who have rejected attempts to expand rent control at the ballot box three times in the past seven years. Member participation directly influenced the decision to have AB1157 (Kalra) and AB647 (M. Gonzalez)—a bill allowing up to eight units on a single-family lot—pulled from committee. This action marked a significant win for those opposing aggressive housing densification and overreaching rent control policies. REALTORS® also noted that these policies disproportionately target small rental housing providers, reduce the overall housing supply, and make it more difficult to finance the development of new rental housing—further worsening the affordability crisis.

California is grappling with a severe and persistent housing shortage. The state simply is not building enough homes to keep up with housing demand. In an effort led by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, legislators have introduced a package of bills intended to remove the roadblocks to housing development, which is vital to increasing home construction. C.A.R. supports several of the bills included within the package that are intended to fast track housing production through streamlined permitting, with the goal of getting more homes built faster.

C.A.R. SUPPORTS THE FOLLOWING BILLS:

AB 1007 (Rubio): Speeds up the approval of housing construction by shortening the amount of time a responsible agency has to act on permit applications for housing development projects from 90 days to 45 days, mirroring the review period in law for lead agencies.

AB 1276 (Carrillo): Provides greater certainty for housing developers by ensuring that housing projects are not subject to shifting regulatory requirements after a preliminary application has been submitted.

SB 489 (Arreguín): Creates transparency by requiring state and regional agencies to post their application requirements online and ensures that all decisions are either covered by the “shot clocks” included in the Permit Streamlining Act or post-entitlement permit statutes.

AB 660 (Wilson): Expedites the post-entitlement process by allowing third-party review of building permits if local agencies are not reviewing them timely.

AB 818 (Ávila Farías): Creates faster responses to disasters during a declared local emergency by facilitating the rapid rebuilding and repair of housing affected by future natural disasters. The bill requires a local agency to approve or disapprove that application within 45 days of receipt. It also expedites project applications and post-entitlement permits and waives impact and utility connection fees.

AB 1308 (Hoover): Expedites the post-entitlement process by requiring building departments to provide an estimated timeframe for building permit inspections and allows applicants to contract with private professional providers to undertake the inspection.

AB 610 (Alvarez): Prevents anti-development regulations prohibiting local governments from adopting or amending a new “covered governmental constraint” (e.g., fees, exactions, increased “affordability” requirements or set asides, downzoning, etc.) within three years of an adopted and approved housing element found to be insubstantial compliance with state law.

AB 712 (Wicks): Strengthens ability to enforce pro-housing laws guaranteeing the recovery of reasonable attorney fees and costs when housing proponents prevail in actions against local agencies failing to uphold housing reform laws. This bill creates a meaningful deterrent against unlawful delays and denials that have long hindered the construction of much-needed housing.

As REALTORS®, we believe that every Californian deserves the opportunity to achieve homeownership. California’s persistent housing shortage—driven by years of underbuilding—has pushed the dream of homeownership further out of reach for many, especially working families and first-time buyers. Estimates show the state will need between 2.5 and 3.5 million new homes by 2030 to meet demand.

During Legislative Day 2025, REALTORS® from across the state, including members of the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS®, urged lawmakers to address the real causes of the housing crisis by focusing on increasing supply and opposing the expansion of rent control. Expediting approval processes for entry-level ownership housing is key to achieving this goal. With support for pro-housing legislation—such as the package of bills championed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks—REALTORS® are committed to working with legislators to fast-track housing production and protect access to homeownership for future generations.

To see more 2025 Legislative Day Action: View The Photo Gallery Here