Press Release How California Is Building More, Faster and Staying Committed to Its Ambitious Climate and Conservation Goals

Contact: Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi, kalin.kipling-mojaddedi@lci.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO — Building much-needed homes and conserving more open space? California is leading the charge through its innovative programs and partnerships.

As of September 2025, two California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) programs have supported the addition of more than 22,000 affordable homes in climate-friendly communities statewide and the process of conserving more than 240,000 acres of working agricultural land.

SGC’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC) and its subprogram, the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC), work together to ensure that California is building affordable new homes quickly, in the right places, while protecting open spaces and working agricultural lands at risk of development. Funded through cap-and-invest (also known as cap-and-trade) revenue from California Climate Investments, the programs support the reduction of greenhouse gas pollution that is linked to causes of asthma and other diseases and disrupts normal weather patterns, creating extreme and dangerous weather. To mitigate these adverse impacts, AHSC funds urban greening and climate change mitigation measures.

In just the first half of 2025, more than 1,200 new affordable homes have opened or broken ground in neighborhoods throughout California with the support of AHSC funding. Over the last decade, AHSC has invested more than $4 billion in projects that have expanded much-needed housing near transit options while protecting public health and reducing pollution. By incorporating clean mass transit, electric vehicle charging stations, or upgraded walking and biking routes into affordable housing plans, residents of new homes have greener and cheaper ways to get where they need to go (work, school, health care, shopping, etc.).

As these affordable, sustainable communities are built, the SALC Program works in tandem to fight climate change by protecting our productive farmlands and encouraging compact transit-oriented communities. SALC works with partners including ranchers and land trusts to identify ag land at risk of sprawling pollution-heavy development. Just this year, more than 8,880 acres of working agricultural land have been permanently conserved, supporting food security, local economies and the state’s climate goals. In total, the program has supported 207 projects with $417.9 million in funding.

READ: Estrada Ranch Conservation Easement Blog Story

The success of pairing these programs lies in harmonizing two pillars of California’s identity: its vibrant urban communities and rich agricultural heritage.  According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, farms and ranches across the state generated more than $59.4 billion in 2023, making California the leading agricultural state in the nation. Preserving working lands not only supports the economy and food supply but also safeguards natural resources and open spaces for future generations.

Through programs like AHSC and SALC using smart planning, strong partnerships and community-centered solutions, California has made it clear — we don’t have to choose between building and conserving. We can do both – and support and uplift California families, communities and the environment in the process.

2025 Celebrations

AHSC Grand Openings

• Petaluma (Jan. 10): Opening of the Petaluma North SMART Station as part of the Meridian at Corona Station project — increases sustainable transit access for residents.
• San Gabriel Valley (Feb. 8): 180 income-restricted units opened at Corazon Del Valle with $23.2 million in AHSC funding.
• Berkeley (May 28): 87 new affordable homes at Maudelle Miller Shirek Community; includes three new BART rail cars, a cycle track, and transit access improvements
• South Los Angeles (June): 127 affordable units have opened at Parkview Place with a $24.1 million grant from AHSC. The project includes improvements to pedestrian infrastructure, additional bike paths, and the purchase of four electric buses.
• Concord (June 4): 62 new affordable apartments open at Rick Judd Commons, the city’s first affordable housing project in more than 20 years.
• East Hollywood, Los Angeles (June 11): Santa Monica and Vermont Apartments opened with 187 affordable units and $29.8 million in AHSC funding. Includes new DASH buses, bus shelters, and improved bike/pedestrian infrastructure.
• Windsor, Sonoma County (June 13): Ribbon cutting of a new SMART station funded through AHSC, improving North Bay transit connections.
• Guadalupe, Santa Barbara County (July 11): Escalante Meadows opens with 80 new affordable housing units, a community center, and transit upgrades. Funded by a $19.4 million AHSC grant.

AHSC Groundbreakings

• Los Angeles (March 13): Rosa’s Place breaks ground with $41.1 million from AHSC; 97 units of housing for women and gender-diverse individuals, and survivors of gender-based violence exiting homelessness.
• Fresno (April 11): Dakota Affordable Housing project breaks ground, repurposing former restaurant land into affordable housing. It will include 114 units, 45 of which will be dedicated to veterans. Grand opening planned for 2026.
• Downtown Los Angeles (April 17): Peak Plaza Apartments breaks ground with 102 new homes and a $34.5 million AHSC grant; includes bike parking, community spaces, and landscaping.
• Santa Rosa (April 25): Casa Roseland Village breaks ground on 75 affordable homes with direct access to a 10-mile trail network and SMART rail.
• Eureka (June 9): Eureka Scattered Sites Project breaks ground, creating 90 units for families and individuals with a $30.2 million grant through the AHSC Program. The project will include improvements to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and the purchase of two battery-electric micro transit vehicles.
• Healdsburg (June 25): Saggio Hills begins construction on 48 affordable homes, with 12 reserved for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

SALC Easements (Permanently maintain land for agricultural uses)

• Tuolumne County (Jan. 10): 491 acres of rangeland protected, including about 100 acres of vernal pools and critical habitat.
• San Luis Obispo (Jan. 31): 840 acres of rangeland, including oak woodlands, grassland, and chapparal, and 50 acres of vineyards conserved; contributes to protection of a wildlife corridor between Los Padres National Forest and the Santa Lucia Range.
• Santa Cruz County (March 20): 1,204 multigeneration ranch and working forest protected near Watsonville, enhancing steelhead habitat and protecting a vital wildlife corridor between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Gabilan Range.
• Merced and Mariposa Counties (April 11): Celebration held for the 10,362-acre Waltz-Turner Ranch conservation — one of the largest land protection efforts this year.
• Placer County (March 25): 155 acres of rangeland conserved, including oak woodland and a ¼-mile of riparian corridors.
• Placer County (April 23): 320 acres of rangeland conserved, including blue oak woodland and riparian corridors along Raccoon Creek. Project included Tribal access provisions and land tenure support.
• Shasta County (April 29): 96 acres of mixed-use agricultural land added to the greenbelt within Stillwater Churn Creek Watershed, helping promote infill in Redding.
• Humboldt County (May 29): 4,688 acres of rangeland and forest conserved — one of the largest SALC projects closed in 2025.
• Monterey County (June 3): 200 acres of prime farmland in the Salinas Valley supporting food security and infill development.
• Shasta County (June 6): 121-acre ranch adding to an existing greenbelt between Anderson and Redding, supporting infill and compact development within both cities’ limits.
• Merced County (June 20): 147 acres of prime farmland and riparian habitat along the Merced River.
• Salinas Valley, Monterey County (July 9): 138 acres of prime farmland conserved near Gonzales supporting food security and infill development.
• Tuolumne County (Aug. 22): protects a 430-acre multigenerational ranch that maintains a diversified agricultural operation featuring meat, fruit and vegetable production, creating a contiguous 957-acres of protected working lands in the Upper Tuolomne Watershed.