If you’ve been feeling like California’s housing conversation is all about building more and protecting less, you're not wrong.

While lawmakers in Sacramento push through bill after bill to speed up housing construction, tenant protections are being left in the dust—or quietly dismantled before they can even get a hearing. In a year where affordability is front and center for millions of Californians, the legislative focus is clear: development gets the green light, while renters get red tape.

Let’s break down what’s happening behind the headlines—and what it means for renters like you.

2025 is shaping up to be a record-breaking year for pro-housing bills in California. The legislature is going all-in on policies to increase density, override local environmental restrictions, and fast-track permits for new developments CalMatters, June 11, 2025.

Bills like Senate Bill 79 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D–San Francisco), which allows denser development near transit hubs with minimal affordability mandates, are passing—even over strong opposition. It narrowly cleared the Senate last week, with renters' advocates calling it a “handout to developers.”

And it's not just that these bills are passing—it's how they’re passing: with strong institutional backing and very little political risk. In the name of long-term supply solutions, legislators are greenlighting measures that won’t meaningfully help renters today.

Meanwhile, bills focused on actual renters—the people currently living in these high-cost cities—are stalling out or getting gutted.

Take Assembly Bill 2353, which would have capped annual rent increases even lower than the current 5% + CPI formula. That bill didn’t even make it to a hearing. It was shelved quietly in April—despite being authored by Assembly Judiciary Chair Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose [CalMatters].

Other tenant-focused bills faced similar fates:

Even with high-profile backers like Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Renters’ Caucus, lawmakers are folding early when it comes to renter rights.

As Sen. Aisha Wahab put it:

The reality is this: landlords and developers hold massive political influence in Sacramento.

The California Apartment Association alone lobbied on at least 25 housing bills this year and spent nearly $200,000 on campaign activity in the first quarter alone [CalMatters]. That doesn’t include what the California Association of Realtors or local lobbying groups are doing behind the scenes.

Tenant groups simply don’t have the same money, power, or voter turnout. While renters make up 44% of California households, homeowners are far more likely to vote, donate, and show up to town halls. Lawmakers hear their voices louder—and more often.

Zooming in on Los Angeles:

Rents may be stabilizing in some submarkets—but cost of living, economic uncertainty, and a lack of deeply affordable units keep tenants stretched thin. And the long-term legislative picture isn’t offering much relief.

In a city where laws are complicated and resources feel out of reach, LA County’s Rent Counselors are doing the quiet, essential work of protecting renters—one case at a time.

From helping tenants recover $16,000 in illegal overpayments to walking them through the County’s Rent Stabilization Ordinances, these counselors act like “the Google of tenant protections.” And in 2025, with updates to the Tenant Right to Counsel Program, their work is more vital than ever [L.A. TACO, June 5, 2025].

These are the folks making sure you don’t face eviction alone—and that you leave a conversation knowing your rights and your options.

Let’s be clear: building more housing is necessary. But what’s being built—and who it serves—matters just as much.

If legislation fast-tracks luxury units and market-rate towers while tenant protections are stalled or stripped, we’re not solving the crisis. We’re just shifting it.

In a moment when renters are more vulnerable than ever, California needs a dual strategy: Build more. Protect now. Because if current tenants can’t afford to stay housed, then the dream of “more housing for all” is already lost.

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