On Thursday, October 16 from 7:45 am to 9:30 am, Westside Urban Forum hosts the 2025 California Legislature Roundup: Insights into Sacramento breakfast panel discussion.

In recent years, the California legislature has been at the forefront of shaping land use, housing, and environmental policy through state law, taking increasingly bold steps to address the housing crisis and related urban challenges. The 2025 session continued this trend, advancing a suite of consequential bills on housing production, land use reform, and environmental protections—many of which are now before Governor Newsom for signature or veto by the October 12 deadline.

The 2025 legislative session produced headline-grabbing housing bills and significant shifts in climate policy. AB 130, signed in June, streamlines CEQA review for infill housing projects; it also places a six-year moratorium on new residential building code changes. SB 79, pending the governor’s signature, would legalize more multifamily housing near transit. On the climate side, lawmakers extended the state’s Cap & Invest program through 2046, and advanced a package of wildfire measures—including $18 billion in new utility wildfire funding and stronger zone zero regulations.

Join WUF for an engaging and informative panel discussion to review the significant legislation passed—and not passed—in the 2025 session. The panel will break down the key takeaways, analyze the likely impacts on Los Angeles and the wider region, and provide valuable insights for government officials, urban planners, developers, and community advocates alike.

Moderator
Lauren Chang, Partner, Sheppard Mullin

Panelists
Jesse Zwick, Southern California Director, Housing Action Coalition / Councilmember, City of Santa Monica
Mahdi Manji, Director of Public Policy,
Inner City Law Center
Michael Rochmes, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator,
US Green Building Council California

Event Time
7:45 am – 9:30 am
7:45 am – Registration & Light Breakfast
8:30 am – Panel Discussion
Location

Member Tickets: $25
Non-Member Tickets: $60

Directions
Avoid the stress of rush hour and skip traffic! The Helms Design Center at 8745 Washington Blvd in Culver City is conveniently located a short, pleasant walk from a number of transit lines, including:

Metro Rail “E” (Expo) Line Culver City Station (1 block west at Washington and National Blvds), and

Culver City Bus “1” and “1C1” lines (at the adjacent Washington Blvd/Helms Avenue street corner).

Protected bike lanes along Washington Blvd. connecting to Culver City’s larger bike lane network also provide a convenient, safe way to get to the Design Center.

If you choose to drive, street level parking is available throughout the Helms campus.

Sponsor Provided Tickets
Thanks to the generosity of our annual Sponsors, WUF has a small number of free tickets available to members of the community. If you are not able to join as a member or purchase a ticket for this month’s panel presentation, but would like to join us, please write us at info@westsideurbanforum to inquire if we have any remaining sponsor provided tickets.