The AIA California Board of Directors regularly takes positions on legislation that impacts the profession, whether that impact is positive or negative. 

The 2023 Legislative Session saw a higher number of legislation introduced than normal, and the highest number in over a decade: there are 1,751 Assembly Bills and 881 Senate Bills, for a total of 2,632 bills. Staff reviews all of those bills and pulls out the couple of hundred bills that are relevant to each of our four legislation review subcommittees, which together equal about 40 AIA CA members: Climate Action, Urban Design, Housing, and Advocacy. These committees review the legislation assigned to them and make recommendations to the Board.

California’s legislative session adjourned on September 14th and Governor Newsom had until October 14th to act upon all the bills that the legislature sent to his desk. There were 1,046 bills that reached his desk this year. Of those, the Governor signed 890 bills and vetoed 156 bills, which was a 14.9% veto rate.

Amidst a backdrop of budget deficit fears that plague the state, The Governor and Legislature sought to find a balance between saving money and continuing to lead the nation on issues like climate change and housing – priorities shared by AIA California. This year’s bills continued the state’s commitment towards policies that streamline housing production, such as those that endeavor to reform permit processing, zoning, ADU requirements, and density bonus laws. A few bills seeking to help move the built environment down a more environmentally sustainable future also advanced, such as bills dealing with embodied carbon and adaptive reuse.

Click here to see how the bills AIA CA took a position on fared and get a glimpse at what new laws will be going into effect next year. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at some of the most impactful bills in future updates.