https://www.kennedycommission.org/

Kennedy Commission, Sacramento, CA (2026)

05/01/2026

April and May are Affordable and Fair Housing Months (AFHM). Here are the events for the month of May.

At the Kennedy Commission, we’re proud to recognize National Affordable Housing Month this May and stand alongside advocates across Orange County who are working to expand access to safe, stable, and affordable homes for all. This month is an opportunity to highlight the critical need for affordable housing, uplift the voices of impacted communities, and recommit to solutions that address our region’s housing challenges.

We welcome you to join us and be part of the many events happening this month. There are so many ways to get involved, learn, and take action alongside our community.

For more information and to RSVP click our linktree in our bio.

04/27/2026

Residents United Network (RUN) is a grassroots advocacy group connecting affordable housing advocates from all across the state to advance housing justice in their communities. Last month, Orange County leaders traveled to Sacramento to participate in RUN”s yearly Advocacy Day for urgent bill advocacy.

These community leaders met with legislators and urged them to pass forward-thinking legislation that can bring more affordable housing production, tenant protections, and funding to our communities back home and across California.

Thank you RUN and HousingCA for inviting us to participate!

04/24/2026

The Kennedy Commission teamed up with the state-wide organization to empower community leaders and urge our representatives to support HousingNow’s current set of priority bills for the 2026 legislative session, described as the Affordable California Campaign.

These key set of bills have been through many committee hearings where affordable housing advocates testified how these bill proposals can help working-class families across the state to reach housing stability. Swipe to read the most current campaign package.

04/13/2026

April and May are Affordable and Fair Housing Months (AFHM). Here are the events for the month of April.

At the Kennedy Commission, we’re proud to stand with Affordable Housing advocates across Orange County this month as we come together to advance housing access and opportunity for all. Throughout April, different organizations and partners are hosting workshops, community events, and conversations that highlight what’s possible when we work together to create more affordable homes and stronger communities.

We welcome you to join us and be part of the many events happening this month. There are so many ways to get involved, learn, and take action alongside our community.

For more information and to RSVP click our linktree in our bio.

03/23/2026

Here’s to the Kennedy Commission’s Winter Quarter 2026 Field Study interns! The past 10 weeks have been exciting to have such an inquisitive cohort. We thank them for their hard work and dedication, as well as wishing them the best as they continue navigating the planning world while at UC Irvine.

If you are interested in interning with the Kennedy Commission, check out our Linktree for more information.

03/20/2026

The Kennedy Commission wants to highlight the Roadmap Home, powered by Housing California. The Roadmap Home is a comprehensive multi-year policy agenda that focuses on long-term solutions to solve California’s housing and homelessness crises. The agenda brings together leaders from housing, homelessness services, tenant advocacy, and racial justice. The Roadmap contains 66 actionable and evidence-based policy proposals bearing 4 goals

Build 1 million affordable homes
Protect 3 million renters
End homelessness
Close racial gaps in housing and economic opportunities

Additionally, this plan offers 4 significant solutions for near-term housing stability, including
Passing a $10 billion statewide housing bond to keep our affordable housing development pipeline moving
Protecting existing general fund investments in affordable housing and homelessness
Growing statewide revenues through a more modern and progressive tax system
Securing new, dedicated funding streams for affordable housing and homelessness services

The Roadmap Home calls on California’s policymakers to move forward with real housing solutions and advance true housing stability to Californian families.

Check out the Roadmap Home under the Commission’s Linktree Resources tab found in our bio.

03/18/2026

Back in January, Governor Newsom released a preliminary state budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. However, this budget included a total of zero new dollars of funding sources for affordable housing production across California. The California budget should reflect our state’s priorities, and it should be a priority for every Californian working family to have a safe and affordable place to call home. Today, affordable housing advocates will be urging legislators to allocate new funding for the necessary housing programs that protect our communities from the injustices of housing stability.

Working-class families promote economic success for the state, and the state should be able to promote similar success in the form of stable housing. When families have stable housing, they are able to invest time to their communities, to their children, and can achieve more.

A network of affordable housing leaders, homelessness advocates, and housing justice organizations are urging Governor Newsom to reconsider allocating new funding sources in a coalition letter. They call for:

• $500 million for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LITHC): State tax credits provide critical gap funding so that California can fully utilize federal tax credits.
• $500 million,including at least $60 million for Project Sustainability for the Multi-Family Housing Program (MHP): The state’s primary affordable housing funding program for new construction and preservation of existing affordable housing.
• $200 million for the Portfolio Reinvestment Program (PRP): This program prevents conversion of HCD-funded affordable housing to market-rate housing units.
• $500 million for the Calhome Program: the only state program that increases the supply of affordable, for-sale, entry level homes
• $100 Million for Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program: Serna funds new construction, rehabilitation, and acquisition of owner-occupied and rental homes for agricultural workers, prioritizing lower-income households.
• $1 billion for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program: funding for homelessness prevention, shelter, and services, and rental assistance for permanent housing.

03/16/2026

Residents United Network (RUN) is a grassroots advocacy group connecting affordable housing advocates from all across the state to advance housing justice in their communities. This week, RUN leaders from Orange County will be traveling to our state’s capital to meet with legislators and urge them to pass forward-thinking legislation that can bring more affordable housing production, tenant protections, and funding to our communities in Orange County and across California. The bills these advocates are rallying behind are:

• SB 1091 (Caballero): The Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program (CAPP)
*This bill proposes to establish the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program, where the California Legislature must officially allocate money for. Once allocated, the Department of Housing and Community Development will be responsible for making the funding available and would be distributed through loans made to eligible borrowers, or through grants and loans issued to local public entities upon their request.
*The program provides funding for the purchase and renovation of unrestricted housing units. This process would bring previously unregulated housing into a system where it can be managed for public benefit. The program also attaches long-term affordability restrictions, which ensures that housing remains affordable to lower-income residents for an extended period, preventing it from converting to high cost, market-rate housing
* It also places protections for tenants from being displaced. This would mean that the program would also apply tenant protections to all funded projects to ensure that the people living there are not forced out during or after the transition.

• AB 2146 (Stefani): Reducing homelessness verification requirements
*This bill proposes to make minor changes to the Coordinated Entry System, which is the local homelessness response system that places people into housing.

*This bill also proposed changes for Project Homekey-funded projects, an initiative under the Multi-Family Housing Program. These projects are proposed to be treated as a “permitted use” in the zoning district.

03/09/2026

Last month, the Kennedy Commission collaborated with the Orange County Congregation Community () and Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development () and launched our collective work on narrative change using the Unconditional Belonging framework.

Bringing to life this dialogue in the housing justice space, the Unconditional Belonging narrative framework pushes people’s multi-dimensionality in asserting full belonging to their community, regardless of socioeconomic status. The framework also calls upon investment in community residents and reflects healthy relationships among people and their environments.

Attendees learned to identify and counter harmful housing narratives to build a strong, unconditional belief of belonging in their community. Our partners and the Commission will continue to explore how the narrative tool can be used to deepen advocacy efforts in affordable housing space to bring in more community investment for working-class families across Orange County.

03/03/2026

In January, the Anaheim City Council restarted discussions on the Angel Stadium, this time envisioning a different future for city residents. Mayor Ashley Aitkens called on creating a master plan for the site, a comprehensive plan of action that guides land-use and development.

Goals that guide development can vary depending on leadership but community input can shape master plans. As the Angel Stadium is owned by the City of Anaheim and managed with taxpayer dollars, it is important to bring about planning discussions that offer opportunities for community members to provide input. Across the City of Anaheim, its low-income residents contribute to its thriving economy and infrastructure. Investing in an equitable land-use plan that ensures community benefits, such as affordable housing, green spaces, more transit access, will reciprocate the contributions of working class families that live in Anaheim.

Additionally, if the City Council decides to move towards negotiations with the Angel Stadium, then the Surplus Land Act would guide the City of Anaheim to declare the site as surplus. This would allow priority for affordable housing developers to purchase or lease the site before other market-rate developers and other entities. This could potentially be hopeful news for affordable housing advocates and working class families.

Photo: MLB website

02/11/2026

In the wake of the Affordable California Campaign’s first loss with Assembly Bill 1157: Affordable Rent Act, the Kennedy Commission supported Chispa OC, and the HousingNow coalition including Tenants United Anaheim and Latino Health Access. We met with Assemblyman Avelino Valenicia, whose district primarily encompasses Anaheim, Santa Ana, and parts of Fullerton and Villa Park.

The purpose of this meeting was to advocate for the Affordable California Campaign’s current set of priority bills and measure his support. As this is his last year in the Assembly before running for state Senate, it is crucial to identify affordable housing allies who can also protect renters as federal and state funding cuts key housing programs.

The Kennedy Commission is committed to continuing legislative discussions with key legislative members to advance affordable housing solutions across the county.

Kennedy Commission

05/01/2026

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03/23/2026

03/20/2026

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