Friday, April 17, 2026

Assemblymember Harabedian’s Factory-Built Housing Bill Clears First Committee Hurdle

Assemblymember John Harabedian

A bill by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) that would streamline inspections and permitting for factory-built housing in California passed the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development on Thursday, April 16.

AB 2058 targets what its sponsors describe as redundant local inspection requirements, disassembly mandates, and excessive permitting fees that currently slow the delivery and raise the cost of factory-built homes — units constructed in a controlled factory environment and then transported to a building site for installation. The bill would remove those barriers by standardizing the inspection and permitting process, according to a press release issued by Harabedian’s office on April 16.

The measure is one piece of a broader legislative effort in Sacramento this year to promote factory-built construction as a response to California’s housing shortage, which state officials have estimated at approximately 3 million units. The California Department of Housing and Community Development has reported that the state produces fewer than 80,000 new homes annually, well short of the 180,000 additional homes it needs each year.

Harabedian, who represents Pasadena, Altadena, and several other San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire communities in the 41st Assembly District, framed the bill in terms of homeownership access.

“Modernizing California’s laws for factory-built housing represents the possibility of fulfilling the dream of homeownership for every Californian,” Harabedian said in the press release. “By building factory-built housing faster and more affordably, we can provide stability to families, young adults, and working communities in the midst of our housing crisis.”

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who has led select committee hearings on housing construction innovation this year and is spearheading a broader package of factory-built housing legislation, also voiced support for the bill.

“Factory-built housing is still a niche market in California, which creates confusion at the local level for well-meaning inspectors who end up treating factory-built housing products in the same way they would treat traditional site-built units,” Wicks said in the same press release. She added that this approach undermines the potential cost and time savings the method could deliver, and that AB 2058 has the potential to accelerate housing production when the state needs it most.

The issue carries particular relevance for Pasadena and Altadena. Following the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed thousands of structures in Altadena, modular and factory-built construction has emerged as one tool in the rebuilding effort. The 2025-2026 state budget included $1 million for the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity specifically for rapid deployment of modular housing in fire-affected areas, as announced by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena).

According to an Assembly committee analysis of a related factory-built housing bill heard in 2025, factory construction can reduce building timelines by as much as 60 percent and cut waste by up to 80 percent compared with traditional site-built methods.

AB 2058 is next scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Local Government Committee on Wednesday, April 22.

Harabedian, who lives in Pasadena and maintains his district office at 257 S. Fair Oaks Ave., was elected to the Assembly in 2024. He co-chairs the Select Committee on Housing Finance and Affordability and sits on the Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation. In 2025, he authored several housing-related bills that were signed into law, including the Mortgage Forbearance Act (AB 238), which provided relief for homeowners affected by the January 2025 wildfires.