SCAG CHAIRMAN REFUSAL TO CONVENE VOTE ON SB 1087 TRIGGERS BIASC'S CALL FOR REGIONAL TRANSPARENCY AND REFORM

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Continues Sponsoring "Housing Killer" SB 1087 Despite Growing Opposition from Local Governments, Transportation Agencies and Business Community

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) today calls for a further review into Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), citing growing concerns over transparency, elected-official oversight, regional representation and accountability.

The catalyst of this request is Senate Bill 1087 (Cabaldon), that SCAG continues to sponsor despite mounting opposition from both the public and private sectors across Southern California.

For the first time in its history, SCAG, an agency charged with planning for Southern California's housing needs through the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), is sponsoring legislation designated a "Housing Killer" by California's homebuilding industry.

"SCAG cannot demand that cities plan for more housing through RHNA while sponsoring legislation that makes those homes more expensive and harder to build," said BIASC CEO Jeff Montejano. "That contradiction should concern every city and county in Southern California."

THE REGIONAL CONSENSUS HAS COLLAPSED

Opposition is no longer coming from one industry or one part of Southern California. Government agencies, transportation authorities and major business organizations across the SCAG region have rejected, withdrawn support for, or raised significant objections to SB 1087, including:

• Orange County Board of Supervisors – adopted an Oppose Unless Amended position.
• Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) – withdrew its support and moved to Neutral.
• Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG) – voted to Oppose SB 1087.
• San Bernardino County and transportation leadership – withdrew support.
• Riverside County Leadership – withdrew support.
• Additional cities and regional agencies are actively reconsidering their positions.

The private sector has also mobilized in opposition to SB 1087, representing thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of Southern California employees warning that the amended bill would complicate regional planning and exacerbate California's housing affordability crisis.

That opposition includes the Southern California Leadership Council, Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed), Inland Empire Economic Partnership, Rebuild SoCal Partnership, Orange County Business Council, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition and BIASC. Yet with massive opposition, SCAG continues to sponsor the bill.

"Look at who is speaking up – counties, transportation agencies, councils of governments, employers and major regional business organizations," Montejano said. "If a regional authority continues advancing a policy after significant parts of the region it represents have rejected that policy, we have to ask a basic question: Who is SCAG representing?"

SCAG'S ELECTED BOARD DESERVES A VOTE

Despite regional consensus collapsing, SCAG Chairman and City of Chino Hills Vice Mayor Ray Marquez has refused requests to convene a meeting allowing the elected Regional Council to debate and vote on whether SCAG should continue sponsoring SB 1087. For BIASC, that refusal highlights a larger governance problem.

"The bill changed. The coalition changed. Yet SCAG's position has not changed, and its elected board has not been given the opportunity to reconsider it," Montejano said. "There is something fundamentally wrong with that structure that needs to be addressed."

The business coalition also warned that the amended legislation would diminish local governments' influence over regional planning and reduce formal opportunities for public participation and independent oversight.

"This is bigger than SB 1087," Montejano said. "It raises fundamental questions about transparency, accountability, regional representation and whether elected officials, or unelected staff and internal procedures, are ultimately controlling SCAG's policy direction."

BIASC TO PUSH FOR SCAG TRANSPARENCY AS A REGIONAL PRIORITY 

BIASC will begin engaging cities, counties, elected officials, business organizations, housing leaders and regional stakeholders to examine SCAG's governance and potential steps to pursue meaningful reform, with the intent of making SCAG more transparent, responsive and accountable to the local governments it serves.

" SB 1087 exposed the problem. The refusal to allow the elected board to reconsider SCAG's sponsorship underscores it," Montejano concluded. "Southern California needs strong regional leadership, but regional government only works when elected officials have meaningful oversight, and leadership is accountable for decisions made in the region's name. BIASC is committed pursing transparency and reform to ensure our collective voices are heard and housing attainability remains a priority for the region."

About BIASC
The Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) represents the homebuilding industry throughout Southern California and advocates for policies that increase housing production, expand homeownership opportunities, and support responsible economic growth.

SOURCE Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc.