David Alvarez, while on the San Diego City Council, realized the need for state-level reform for housing reform. This year he authored two bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to incentivize developers to reserve homes for middle-income residents and exempt all housing projects with 100% of their units reserved for low-income housing from review under the California Environmental Quality Act. Alvarez's bills are a step towards making San Diego, one of the least affordable metro areas in the country, more affordable. Despite opposition from the state construction labor union, Alvarez was able to push through these reforms.