Housing Policy to Pay Attention to Right Now in Sacramento

JOIN US VIRTUALLY ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27TH 12PM

Join SV@Home for our next Policy in Action@Home as we break down the latest developments from the Capitol with insider guest Leslie Rodriguez, Partner at California Strategies and Board Chair of the SV@Home Action Fund.

We’ll unpack:

– What’s in (and out of) the state budget

– The housing bills gaining traction and the ones quietly dying

– How this legislative session could shape housing access in our region for years to come

This is your chance to get the real story behind the headlines and what it means for our local work.

RSVP now and join the conversation.

ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR
May 6, 2025

Campbell Leads the Way on ADU Streamlining

Share:

Campbell is leading the charge on ADU streamlining with a new policy that enables permit approvals in under a week—making it the fastest in Santa Clara County. This proactive move is already delivering results and offers a model for other cities to follow.

Campbell is stepping up with a big win for housing! The City’s new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) streamlining policy is a smart, proactive move that makes it easier and faster for homeowners to add much-needed homes in their own backyards. Under the new program, eligible homeowners can now receive ADU permits in a week or less—making Campbell the fastest city in Santa Clara County for ADU approvals. With a dedicated planning team reviewing up to two applications each week, Campbell is clearing the path for more gentle, incremental housing growth. And the results speak for themselves: in 2024 alone, the city approved 70 new ADUs.

This program didn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of commitments Campbell made in its Housing Element—and a strong example of what can come from collaborative planning. The program was shaped through conversations with other cities in the Santa Clara County Planning Collaborative, a regional effort led by the Cities Association of Santa Clara County. Together, these cities are tackling the big question: How can we create more homes in our communities? For smaller cities like Campbell, ADUs offer one of the most promising answers—adding homes on single-family lots without requiring major land use changes or new infrastructure.

We hope Campbell’s leadership inspires others to follow suit. Streamlining permitting is a key piece of the puzzle, but there is more cities can do to support ADU construction—like adopting pre-approved plan sets, creating accessible ADU resource pages online, and launching amnesty programs to bring unpermitted units into compliance. Every backyard home is a step closer to solving our region’s housing shortage. With the right policies in place, cities can empower homeowners to be part of the solution—and help build a future where everyone has a place to call home.