[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6561735,"mediaKeyId","3287618-b8fef49bcae81daeb344921871b0b6db","parentId",3287618,"title","Assembly hears plan to create California Housing and Homelessness Agency and a housing finance committee to speed affordable housing funding","audioSeconds",850,"startMs",3600000,"endMs",4450000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287618-b8fef49bcae81daeb344921871b0b6db&start=3600&end=4450","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287618-b8fef49bcae81daeb344921871b0b6db/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6561735/California/Assembly-hears-plan-to-create-California-Housing-and-Homelessness-Agency-and-a-housing-finance-committee-to-speed-affordable-housing-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561735-cd1cfb8a89fb34356d54072de6bd21bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447684&Signature=RsxYGUP6ST3gd3dHODDD46GSEHiItCUVws8yNbsRmUGB~Za6L5NnkhlRv2AiZyOUUkmM5XwW~hyXXcusgmuAuPMplUL~A9AXyVkJg6mmhLbEtVPk6I3Z2-9TJnOOcPK8w81~P9-xvnGtqYyXboAyNaVTA1i-0ZaYFmKPDum~bG7vaXpC0oEhsSALk5GAIZj7VWaiaXMJ6reU8EDmbIzUlfVJZtldTCAUsXV6ds~P2D6V-5TZm321segSoGMFS~pbkaP3pMNVD-kojBNRvDlzcmpFUArPBdm~aYPrMkCXRBbaCxueOt0OkXy9v1trNyZHGiwzCdphhoIuLJg4Pvov4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Assembly","date","2025-05-13T00:00:00Z","article","Assembly committees heard detailed testimony and stakeholder testimony on the governor's plan to split the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and to create a California Housing and Homelessness Agency (CHHA) with a Housing Development and Finance Committee aimed at aligning and speeding state affordable-housing financing.

Secretary Tamika Moss and housing agency leaders described the CHHA as a structural change to improve program alignment across HCD, CalHFA, the Civil Rights Department and other entities, with an explicit goal of simplifying funding award processes and reducing timelines and costs for affordable-housing projects. Gustavo Velasquez, director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), said HCD has provided funding for about 60,000 new affordable homes and helped local governments plan to accommodate 2.5 million new homes; he argued a dedicated cabinet-level agency would sustain momentum and improve coordination. Rebecca Franklin, chief deputy director at the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), said the structure is designed to \"facilitate this work through focused leadership, streamlined and transparent decision making, and effective use of state dollars.\" (testimony)

Why it matters: Housing developers and nonprofit advocates told the committees that fragmented funding processes and sequential award timelines add significant time and cost to projects and that a coordinated funding committee could reduce delays that make projects infeasible. Several speakers described projects in which state funding commitments from multiple programs sat idle while developers waited for final awards, increasing costs and causing projects to fail.

Key details and claims
- Housing Development and Finance Committee: The proposal calls for a multi-agency committee to create a single funding award process for multifamily affordable housing, streamline compliance and increase transparency through public decision-making and appeals. Officials said the committee will pursue program alignment across state government and oversee creation of a coordinated application and award timeline; an executive committee will develop program-alignment recommendations in year one. (presentation by Rebecca Franklin and Gustavo Velasquez)
- Timeline: Officials said the reorganization will be phased. Secretary Moss and HCD staff said year 1 will focus on preparation; by July 2026 BCSH would be replaced by two agencies and the Housing and Finance Committee would become operational; subsequent phases would transfer staff and programs upon appropriation. (presentation remarks)
- Developers' accounts of delays: Margaret Miller, president of development for the John Stewart Company, described Cornerstone Village (Elk Grove) as an 84-unit project that secured roughly $15 million from four public sources but failed to close after nearly three years because the project could not get the remaining funding; she said nearly 45,000 units statewide are ready to proceed if funding timing were fixed. Jeffrey Morgan (CHISPA) cited Colorado's one-stop practice that committed funding simultaneously and said shortening timelines would save money and allow more units to be built.
- Data and progress cited: Officials said California now permits many more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) than several years ago (from roughly 5,000 to roughly 28,000 per year), that a surplus land pipeline can yield about 32,000 units, and that the Housing Accountability Unit has unlocked more than 8,000 units. Secretary Moss also referenced state reporting showing about 60,000 people exited homelessness in 2024 while noting work remains to reduce unsheltered homelessness.

Stakeholder views and concerns
Developers, housing nonprofits and advocacy groups broadly supported the structural change and urged two key additions: (1) a true \"one-stop shop\" that includes coordination with tax-credit and bond allocating bodies (TCAC and CDLAC) and (2) sufficient implementation funding and staff to make a consolidated process work. Several witnesses recommended formal representation for TCAC and CDLAC on the Housing Development and Finance Committee.

Legislative concerns raised
Lawmakers repeatedly asked how the reorganization aligns with the state budget calendar and whether the Little Hoover Commission and May revision timelines would allow the legislature adequate review before budget deadlines; some members said the proposal should have been brought earlier so fiscal impacts could be considered before May. Lawmakers also pressed whether CalHFA's statutory and financial independence (separate credit rating, board governance and financing authority) would remain intact; CalHFA officials said those separations would be preserved.

Ending: Committee members and stakeholders signaled broad support for the objective of streamlining housing finance while reserving judgment pending fiscal details in the governor's May revision, additional Little Hoover Commission findings and the legislative review of implementation details and appropriations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Hearing Assembly Business and Professions Committee and Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee (1)","oneSentenceSummary","Assembly committees reviewed the governor's proposal to create a California Housing and Homelessness Agency and a Housing Development and Finance Committee to centralize award timelines and reduce the cost and time required to build affordable housing.","taxTitle","California State Assembly, House, Legislative, California","taxId",17099,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6561740,"California officials back split of consumer licensing from housing to focus regulatory oversight",494,0,494000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3287618-b8fef49bcae81daeb344921871b0b6db&start=0&end=494","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3287618-b8fef49bcae81daeb344921871b0b6db/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6561740/California/California-officials-back-split-of-consumer-licensing-from-housing-to-focus-regulatory-oversight","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561740-4090b8080c123a8b46645e2daefcd72d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447684&Signature=ogC5~FW2KBkDzPRUa6GN0KBiUbLtJ~m4jwtPsKR7F3ElzJWaP~85Enc0siMOmKLr67CeMaIe0AsEEBM-Jky4uPowBSvSR9ppc-kQTqIzl-AR10bTWltxFDYTQEuBHot3~fVha51byjGgt5Yn-zYaxXCLoIF6IYZer2J8MOPZ2hTjJlmQk1JhW6rjj-wpMql-f2CO7pCYzbA56O~EyuMlrzyQqZk1XlDRuaOPdWRDjKVQI~cnGQZEyfTnYAH7E-CgxyK4mVEgwKTJoLoRdi5q4Ucd9BcrS8aE4V0qjMwy~WP6NsP~yXh0zDrytSO3xBVmrpJLYjyuTy0n~ZrqfGNnwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assembly members and state agency leaders on the two Assembly committees heard presentations and public comment on the governor's 2025 reorganization plan that would separate the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency into two cabinet-level entities and create a stand-alone Business and Consumer Services Agency focused on licensing, enforcement and consumer protection.

The proposal would move licensing and consumer-protection departments into the new Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA). Secretary Tamika Moss, who currently leads the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH), said the change is intended to give regulators more focused leadership and \"allow these departments to quickly adapt to the industry's changes, strengthen our oversight over time, and protect Californians.\" She said the administration has planned an implementation timeline intended to give staff time to perform necessary administrative work and change management; for the consumer side she said the new agency is expected to come online \"next July.\" (presentation remarks by Tamika Moss)

Why it matters: Proponents argued that separating consumer and business regulation from housing policy will reduce competing priorities inside a single agency and improve responsiveness for licensing entities that regulate millions of Californians.

Key details and claims
- Departments identified for the proposed Business and Consumer Services Agency included the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Cannabis Control, the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Presenters on the first panel included Tamika Moss (Secretary, BCSH), Kimberly Kirkmire (Director, Department of Consumer Affairs), Nicole Elliott (Director, Department of Cannabis Control), Casey Mosseini (Commissioner, Department of Financial Protection and Innovation), and Frank Robles (Chief Deputy Director, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control). (panel introductions and testimony)
- Kimberly Kirkmire said the Department of Consumer Affairs \"is in full support of the reorganization proposal\" and described recent department efforts to expand hybrid public participation, publish licensing best-practice guidance and expand online services for applications, renewals and complaints. (testimony by Kimberly Kirkmire)
- Nicole Elliott said separating consumer regulation from housing \"will result in stronger consumer protections, more streamlined oversight, and greater agility\" to address market complexities in licensed cannabis. (testimony by Nicole Elliott)
- On fees: committee members raised concerns that a new agency could increase pro rata assessments on departments and lead to higher license fees. Secretary Moss replied that the administration does \"not anticipate any of our departments raising fees as a result of this reorganization\" and said leadership has been \"intentional\" about keeping pro rata assessments steady and seeking ways to reduce burdens on licensees. (exchange with committee)
- Legal and regulatory functions: Moss and panelists said agency legal units and the interdepartmental legal processes will remain intact to avoid disruption of rulemaking and regulatory packages. (testimony)

Public comment and stakeholder reaction
Trade associations representing beverage distributors, craft brewers, the Wine Institute, mortgage lenders and housing organizations offered on-the-record support for the reorganization during the public comment period, saying a focused business and consumer agency would improve regulatory clarity.

Meeting context, limitations and next steps
This was an informational hearing rather than a vote on the reorganization plan. Several legislators pressed the administration for fiscal and timing details; Moss and staff said the full fiscal analysis and implementation details would be included in the governor's May revision and that the Little Hoover Commission had held hearings and will provide a recommendation. The administration said it does not anticipate additional office space costs and plans to house related programs together where feasible, but noted some programs (for example, HCD and CalHFA) currently sit in separate buildings and major relocations are not anticipated.

Ending: The first panel closed with committee members and stakeholders expressing conditional support while reserving judgment pending the May revise budget details and additional implementation plans.","Assembly informational hearings examined the governor's 2025 reorganization plan to split the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency into a stand-alone Business and Consumer Services Agency focusing on licensing, enforcement and consumer protection.","actionData","errors"]

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Assembly hears plan to create California Housing and Homelessness Agency and a housing finance committee to speed affordable housing funding

California officials back split of consumer licensing from housing to focus regulatory oversight