California lawmakers are pushing forward with housing initiatives. They are advancing a $10 billion bond to fund affordable housing, which passed the Senate Housing Committee and moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bond aims to be on the June primary ballot. It includes funds for wildfire prevention, rental assistance, and first-time homebuyer support. Meanwhile, a rent control proposal failed in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. It aimed to cap rent increases but faced opposition from landlords and realtors. Lawmakers are also addressing issues with Senate Bill 79, which allows apartment buildings near transit but has unintended consequences for mobile home parks.

In December, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas assigned his members an “urgent” task: Make California cheaper to live in.

One California law was supposed to flip defunct strip malls across California into apartment-lined corridors.