State Board of Equalization holds hearing on modular housing, insurance and permitting hurdles for wildfire rebuilds

The State Board of Equalization held an informational hearing July 29 in Sacramento to examine how modular and factory‑built housing could help communities rebuild after wildfires and increase affordable housing supply. Board member Tony Vasquez convened the session to gather industry, labor and policy testimony so the board can advise assessors, legislators and state housing agencies.

Why it matters: California faces repeated wildfire losses and a long housing shortage. Witnesses said factory building can cut construction time from many months to weeks and potentially lower per‑unit costs, but several practical barriers — insurance coverage, permitting delays, local inspection capacity and factory scale — must be addressed before modular production can be relied on for large post‑disaster recoveries.

Industry and nonprofit witnesses outlined capacities and problems. Bea Stotzer, founder and board chair of New Economics for Women, described a planned pilot that would deploy factory‑built ADUs for displaced families after the Altadena and Pacific Palisades…