The Hidden Cost of Regulation: Building Code Reform

Over the past couple of years, lawmakers in Sacramento have worked hard to make it easier to build homes through zoning reform. While it may be easier to build housing, the cost has only gotten more expensive.

As policymakers search for the next frontier in housing reform, attention is turning toward the building code itself. Regulations governing building design, safety standards, and energy performance—while well-intentioned—can significantly influence the cost, feasibility, and speed of housing development.

This panel will explore emerging proposals to modernize California’s building standards, including single-stair reform, targeted code concessions, and proposals to freeze updates to the state building code. Featuring policy leaders, industry experts, and practitioners, the discussion will focus on how building code reform could reduce construction costs while maintaining safety and quality standards.

Registration for this training is free for current NPH members (Non-Member Cost: $10)
The registration form will verify your membership based on the email domain you use to register. To check your organization’s membership status, visit our website or contact Oksana@nonprofithousing.org. To become a member, please click here for more information. For questions about this training, please contact Andrew@nonprofithousing.org.

Panelists include:

Lisa Gluckstein (moderator), Manager, Legislation and Policy
San Francisco Planning Department

Lisa Gluckstein currently engages with and advances state and local legislative proposals on behalf of the San Francisco Planning Department. She previously worked in the San Francisco Mayor’s Office as housing and land use advisor and has worked as a land use attorney, representing clients across the Bay Area. Lisa holds a B.A. from Williams College and a J.D. from Harvard Law.

Jesse Zwick, City of Santa Monica Councilmember & Southern California Director, Housing Action Coalition

Jesse Zwick is the Southern California Director of the Housing Action Coalition, a statewide pro-housing nonprofit that advocates for more homes at all levels of affordability. Prior to joining HAC in September 2025, he worked as a public policy and communications strategist on multiple Los Angeles-area electoral and issue advocacy campaigns, as well as in the offices of Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Mike Bonin. He was a founding member of SELAH, a neighborhood homeless services nonprofit, which inspired his journey into all things housing and land use-related. Before that, he worked as a journalist in Washington DC and wrote for film and television in Hollywood. He lives with his wife and two kids in Santa Monica, where he also serves as a member of the city council.

Carley Leckie, Associate, David Baker Architects

Carley is a designer living and working in San Francisco. As an Associate at David Baker Architects, she works across a range of scales, with a particular emphasis on initial concept design and community engagement efforts in affordable housing. Carley approaches design as a collaborative process with attention to personal, material, and community narratives and experiences. She worked on Steplight, DBA’s winning submission for the San Francisco site in the 2025 National Single Stair Competition.

Allie Cannington, Managing Director, Advocacy, The Kelsey

For over 15 years, Allie Cannington has organized people with disabilities on local, state, and national levels, always centering those who experience multiple forms of oppression. As Managing Director of Advocacy at The Kelsey, a national disability-forward housing developer, technical assistance provider, and advocacy organization, they oversee policy change initiatives to increase affordable, accessible, and inclusive housing for all. Within and outside of The Kelsey, Allie’s work is ultimately dedicated to unveiling everyone’s proximity to disability and to fueling justice movements that are intersectional, sustainable, and intergenerational.