APA California Legislative Update: March 2026

The Legislature introduced more than 1,800 bills for the 2026 Legislative Session, and the year is already off to a fast start. APA California has identified over 300 bills of interest to planners, with several emerging as early priorities. There are also still hundreds of “spot” bills—placeholders for future legislation—many of which are likely to deal with planning-related issues. We expect to have a clearer picture of the scope of these proposals by the end of March.

Based on what is currently in print, it is clear the Legislature will continue to focus on housing and homelessness, along with related efforts to provide ongoing funding through the $10 billion affordable housing bond (AB 736, Wicks and SB 417, Cabaldon). Lawmakers are also continuing their work on climate-related policies, including energy, emissions reductions, wildfire mitigation, and climate adaptation.

Two broader themes are also shaping the legislative landscape this year: responding to policy shifts at the federal level that could affect California’s climate goals and addressing the continued cost-of-living impacts facing Californians. Both are expected to influence discussions across many policy areas.

APA California continues to engage with legislators, staff, and organizations sponsoring legislation to gather information and provide initial feedback. To help inform these discussions, the Chapter’s Legislative Team meets monthly with Section Legislative Representatives to review key bills, focusing on proposals that are likely to have a broad impact on planners statewide. This month’s meeting will focus on several of interest in advance of policy committees beginning to consider proposed legislation.

As positions are developed on bills moving through the Legislature, APA California will share position letters on key measures—so stay tuned. Even if you do not see a position letter on a particular bill, that does not mean we are not engaged. In many cases, we work behind the scenes in advance of taking a formal position to address concerns and improve legislation where possible—and we are actively doing that right now.

The Building an Affordable California Act (BACA), is a proposed 2026 ballot initiative from the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) aimed at accelerating the construction of housing, infrastructure, and clean energy projects. The measure would significantly reform the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by establishing strict, enforceable timelines for project approvals, limiting litigation, and requiring greater reliance on objective standards, among other changes.

CalChamber recently reached out to APA California to discuss the proposal and request the Chapter’s endorsement. While APA California does not typically take positions on ballot initiatives, the Chapter will be reviewing the measure in more detail and welcomes member feedback at [email protected].

If you’re interested in receiving updates on legislative and regulatory issues from the Chapter’s Policy and Legislation Team, please join here. Have questions on policy and legislative related issues, including bills and regulations? APA California members are welcome to reach out to the VP for Policy and Legislation at [email protected].

APA California has a robust legislative program at the Chapter level that engages with the California Legislature. The Policy and Legislation team includes an elected VP for Policy and Legislation, two appointed Legislative Technical Advisors, and a Lobbyist retained by the Chapter. The team engages directly with APA California Section Legislative Representatives from each of the 8 Sections within the Chapter to discuss feedback on legislation and other relevant issues regularly throughout the year. To view the Policy and Legislation team, visit the Board of Directors page.

APA California actively engages in many bills throughout the year. In fact, we work closely with legislative and committee staff on amendments and clarifications to bills before taking a position. As an organization, APA California is often asked to provide feedback on planning related bills and provide technical expertise, giving a voice to planners and an opportunity to help shape legislation. This is a valuable role that the Chapter works hard to maintain. More broadly, we will continue to discuss the work planners are doing at the local level to implement and keep up with all the planning related bills that pass year over year and how that relates to the cumulative impact of bills on the table this year. We also continue seek opportunities to suggest tangible ways, absent fiscal resources at the state level, that the Legislature can help to make implementation more successful and support the planning community.