Irvine, Calif. – October 02, 2026 -- Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1087 on September 30, legislation sponsored by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) that the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) says will raise housing costs and erode local planning authority across the region.
Builders say the law ties housing production to stricter regional transportation mandates
BIASC opposed the final version of SB 1087 (Cabaldon), arguing it expands regional planning requirements linked to greenhouse-gas reduction and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) targets at a time when California faces a severe housing affordability and production shortfall. The statewide California Building Industry Association had labeled the bill a "Housing Killer."
"California cannot solve its housing affordability crisis by creating additional uncertainty around where and how housing can be built," said BIASC CEO Jeff Montejano. "SB 1087 may now be law, but the larger issue remains: Southern California deserves a regional planning system that is transparent, accountable to its member cities and counties, and aligned with the state's housing goals."
BIASC's September 28 opposition letter cited UC Berkeley Terner Center research on a housing-VMT policy gap
The letter argued that competing state mandates on housing supply and VMT reduction could carry significant consequences for housing production and affordability. Jennifer Hernandez, who leads West Coast Land Use & Environmental Law at Holland & Knight and advised the industry on the legislation, said Sustainable Communities Strategies operate within a statewide legal framework that can affect housing production, transportation funding and litigation.
Opposition campaign generated 510,723 emails to elected officials, the largest in BIASC history
The grassroots effort against SB 1087 also produced more than 348,000 views of a video framing the bill as a "Housing Killer" and over 28,000 social media likes, alongside opposition from elected officials and regional stakeholders across Southern California.
BIASC shifts focus to governance reform at SCAG, which spans 191 cities and six counties
With SB 1087 now enacted, BIASC said it will press for greater transparency and accountability in how SCAG makes major policy decisions affecting its member jurisdictions. "This is bigger than one bill," Montejano said. "The question now is how a regional organization representing millions of Southern Californians makes major policy decisions, how those decisions are communicated to its member agencies, and how elected representatives are given a meaningful voice in that process."