CALIFORNIA — The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) released a statement on January 8 following Governor Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address.
In his speech, Newsom recognized that housing costs are a major driver of California’s affordability crisis.
C.A.R. president Tamara Suminski said the association shares the goal of ensuring that all Californians have a roof over their head.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers on balanced, practical incentives that encourage large institutional investors to transition single-family units back to owner-occupied housing and expand opportunities for first-time buyers,” 2026 C.A.R. president Tamara Suminski said.
The association said while they “appreciate that state leaders are searching for meaningful solutions to bring down the cost of housing,” they cautioned that prolonged rent restrictions would move the state in the wrong direction.
California has introduced legislation to curb bulk home buying
The announcement comes amid President Donald Trump’s post on social media stating that he is “immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes.”
In 2025, senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced legislation to limit hedge fund and institutional ownership of single-family homes to improve housing affordability. The proposal is still pending in Congress and has not been enacted into law.
California lawmakers have also introduced and advanced several bills aimed at curbing bulk and institutional buying of single‑family housing.
As of now, none have become state law, despite the growing concern about investor‑owned homes.
C.A.R. did recognize California for making progress to bring costs down by streamlining housing development and increasing supply.
“We look forward to continued engagement with the governor and legislative leaders to advance solutions that boost housing supply, provide opportunities for aspiring homeowners and strengthen communities,” Suminski said.
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 released a statement on January 8 following Governor Gavin Newsom’s final State of the State address, where he recognized that housing costs are a major driver of California's affordability crisis.){kind=link}