For release:
August 4, 2025                                                                                                                       

Southern California mayors convene to tackle housing challenges and solutions

COSTA MESA, CALIF. (Aug. 4) – At a recent government-industry panel hosted by the Center for California Real Estate (CCRE), four local civic leaders from across Southern California gathered to discuss persistent challenges in addressing California’s housing crisis, share innovative localized strategies and solutions, and call for further support at the state and local level. (Recording available here.)

The panel featured Mayor Scott Voigt of the City of Lake Forest; Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen, of the City of Westminster; Mayor Pro Tem Cecilia Hupp of the City of Brea, and Mayor Pro Tem John Nielsen of the City of Tustin. The panelists shared firsthand insights into how their cities are navigating state mandates, infrastructure needs, and wildfire preparedness. Phil Hawkins, CEO of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, moderated the panel, contributing insight from REALTORS® across the state and opportunities to build relationships at the community level to engage with policymakers around housing.

The discussion also covered the role of local governments in promoting homeownership, lessons from the rise of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in cities, the challenges of meeting Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) numbers and the importance of infrastructure planning, particularly for water and fire safety. The forum yielded several key insights:

Cities are innovating to meet challenging state housing mandates

Panelists acknowledged the significant strain that state-imposed housing mandates have placed on municipalities, citing the challenges of meeting ambitious housing targets within the constraints of local resources, zoning laws, and community concerns. While these mandates are designed to address California’s ongoing housing crisis, particularly in high-demand areas such as Orange County, city officials expressed concerns about the impact on existing infrastructure, public services, and the character of their communities.

Lake Forest Mayor Scott Voigts noted, “With all the mandates coming in from the state of California, we're struggling… that's something that we're dealing with on a daily basis.”

Despite these challenges, the panelists emphasized their commitment to finding creative and sustainable solutions that balance the need for housing with the concerns of residents. They emphasized the importance of innovative approaches, such as the adaptive reuse of existing structures, mixed-use developments, and streamlining the permitting process for ADUs, such as including pre-approved model plans and in some cases offering a path to certification for pre-existing ADUs built outside of the city permitting process. These strategies offer practical solutions for meeting state housing targets while preserving neighborhood character and minimizing disruption.

Mayor Voigts shared that Lake Forest has already successfully met its RHNA goals, a significant achievement that reflects the city’s proactive approach to addressing the region's housing shortage. “We were among the first cities in the state to certify our new housing element,” Mayor Voigts said. The success stems from the planned redevelopment of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro into a 2,400-home public-private master plan, unveiled in 1999 and involving significant community engagement around planning for the City’s future.

Brea Mayor Pro Tem Cecilia Hupp highlighted the ongoing struggle many cities face in balancing the demand for affordable housing with the rising costs of construction. She pointed out that the high cost of building affordable housing is a major barrier, often twice as expensive to construct compared to market-rate homes. “A lot of the cost is coming down from the state in state mandates. If you build something new, it has to have solar on it. All these different mandates add to the cost of housing. If you build affordable housing, you have to use union labor, which doubles the cost. So the incentive is not there to build affordable housing; it's market rate.”

Infrastructure and water access are critical to sustainable growth

Panelists emphasized the critical role that infrastructure planning, particularly water access, plays in shaping responsible housing development. They pointed out that adequate water infrastructure is not only crucial for meeting the daily needs of a growing population but also for maintaining public health, supporting agriculture, and ensuring fire protection, especially in regions prone to droughts or wildfires.

“You’ve got to plan out and work with the different water districts… to make sure that when you’re doing a project, you’re going to have water,” said Tustin Mayor Pro Tem John Nielsen.

Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen added that long-term planning has helped his city maintain strong water reserves, underscoring the value of long-term planning in infrastructure development. “Thanks to the city planners from years ago, they did a great job of planning out structures. And so we are not worried about [water] that much….we are very well maintained in terms of water,” he said.

Cities are enhancing wildfire preparedness amid insurance challenges

As wildfire risks continue to rise, and the aftermath of this year’s devastating Southern California wildfires continues to unfold, cities are increasingly adopting proactive measures to safeguard residents and properties.

Hupp shared that the City of Brea now enforces 5 feet of defensible space around homes, ensuring that there is no bush growth immediately close to the structure. “You may be in the center [of the city]… but you're still at risk,” she said, reminding attendees that fire risk is not limited to hillside areas, with the recent LA wildfires a prime example.

Tustin’s John Nielsen shared that his city is working with authorities to harden not just homes, but also schools, in response to learnings from the destruction of multiple schools in the Los Angeles wildfires this January. In addition, cities are working closely with local fire departments and state agencies to conduct community education campaigns on fire prevention and preparedness.

Hawkins highlighted the rising homeowners insurance crisis as a leading issue facing California, as insurance companies leave the state and the FAIR plan growth becomes unsustainable long term. “Homeowners are struggling right now with homeowners’ insurance… we are losing companies out of California that would insure homeowners,” he said.

Hawkins cited a new exclusive CCRE report, Proposed Solutions for California’s Homeowners Insurance Challenges, capturing key insights from a recent forum of cross-industry leaders seeking to address California’s insurance crisis. The findings are designed to inform policy discussions and industry response in the months and years ahead.

REALTORS® are vital partners in local housing solutions

The panel concluded with a strong call for deeper collaboration between local governments and the community to address growing housing challenges, noting the critical role that REALTORS® can play as community advocates. Panelists emphasized that fostering these partnerships could lead to more effective zoning reforms, better alignment on affordable housing initiatives, and innovative solutions to meet the demand for housing in rapidly growing communities. Working together, local governments can collaborate with local REALTORS® and their community to secure real reform by creating more sustainable housing policies, streamlining development processes, and ensuring that the needs of residents and developers are more closely aligned in future projects.

Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen encouraged REALTORS® to leverage their role as individual community representatives to engage in the public process, as well as through a collective effort: “You can voice your opinion. That way we can work together.”

About CCRE

The Center for California Real Estate (CCRE), an institute of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.), advances knowledge and research by collaborating with varied partners, spurs innovative thinking about key issues facing California and the real estate industry, and extends C.A.R.’s influence via intellectual engagement with different audiences, diverse stakeholders, and new external partners. Now into its second decade, CCRE serves as a nexus for multi-disciplinary thinking aimed at solving some of the state’s most challenging issues. Bringing together key experts from a variety of fields, from academics to policymakers to industry leaders, CCRE produces new knowledge and serves as a key resource about housing issues for all C.A.R. members, external entities, the media, and the public. Visit ccre.us to explore the Center’s online resources and learn about upcoming events.