2026 California Infill Summit: Best Practices and Breakthrough Opportunities

August 19-20, 2026
LA Athletic Club, 431 W. 7th Street, Downtown Los Angeles

Hosted by

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED!

Can we actually get things built in California? The Council of Infill Builders convened the people working to make sure the answer is YES.

The California Infill Summit featured builders, contractors, lawyers, lenders, utilities, elected officials, planners, community organizations, sustainability professionals, and students for a practical conversation about what it takes to make infill projects pencil, get permitted, get powered up, open their doors, and avoid death by a thousand cuts along the way.

We talked about what’s working, what’s not, and what changes we need. California’s housing, economic development and climate goals – not to mention the future of our industry – hang in the balance.

Summit Program

August 19th, 6-9pm: Reception & Infill Idea Slam (Victory Ballroom)

We started the California Infill Summit on a high note at our reception! Connecting and reconnecting with colleagues and friends who are shaping infill across the state (and thank you to Rand Paster Nelson for sponsoring our signature cocktail, “The Builders Remedy”).

We then held our Infill Idea Slam — a fast-paced, open-mic, mini-TEDx-style event. We heard your boldest or most useful idea, boiled down to a 3- to 5-minute pitch. That included new products, breakthrough research, policy innovations, and practical solutions to move infill forward.

Finally, we heard the debut infill song from the in-house band Rockable Communities.

August 20th, 8am-4pm: Summit (Centennial Ballroom)

The summit featured leading practitioners and policymakers discussing local best practices, energization, housing production, legislative updates, and innovative development strategies.

Along with leading experts and innovators from around the state, we heard from city leaders including Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and Santa Monica City Manager Oliver Chi. Please see the detailed program below.

Schedule

Time	Program Element	Speaker
8:00 AM	Breakfast
8:55 AM	Welcome	Meea Kang, Council of Infill Builders Mott Smith, Infill Builders Foundation
9:00 AM	Morning Keynote	Nithya Raman, LA City Councilmember & Mayoral Candidate
9:30 AM	Panel 1 Infill Disruptors: Creating New Paradigms	Moderator: Liam Dillon, Politico Leo Pustilnikov, SLH Investments Tom De Simone, Genesis LA Bob Hertzberg, Former Speaker of California Assembly
10:15 AM	Break
10:30 AM	Panel 2 Local Legends: Infill Success Stories	Moderator: Bianca Neumann, EAH Housing Brian Schoenfisch, City of San Diego Bubba Fish, Vice Mayor of Culver City Stephen Smith, Center for Building in North America Greg Sandlund, City of Sacramento
12:00 PM	Lunch Keynote: Hour with the Mayor	Mayor Todd Gloria, City of San Diego
1:15 PM	Panel 3 Speaking Power to Truth: Energizing New Infill Projects	Moderator: Jesse Zwick, Housing Action Coalition Patrick Clark, Southern CA Edison Ray J. Nalangan, Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District Emil Abdelshehid, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Kyle Fluker, Cypress Equity Investments
2:00 PM	Break
2:15 PM	Panel 4 There Oughta Be a Law: Infill Legislation Update	Moderator: Marty Akerblom, Allen Matkins Louis Mirante, Bay Area Council Dave Rand, Rand Paster Nelson Brian Hanlon, California YIMBY Meea Kang, Council of Infill Builders Colin Parent, Circulate Planning & Policy
3:30 PM	Closing Keynote The Future of Infill in Santa Monica and Beyond	Oliver Chi, City Manager of Santa Monica

Keynote Speakers

Todd Gloria
San Diego Mayor

A third-generation San Diegan of Filipino, Dutch, Puerto Rican, and Native American descent, Mayor Gloria’s lifelong career in public service was inspired by a lesson his parents – a hotel maid and a gardener – taught him at a young age: if you care about something, then you should leave it better than you found it.

Nithya Raman
LA City Councilmember

Nithya Raman is an urban planner, a graduate of Harvard and MIT, a working mother, an immigrant to America, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4.

Oliver Chi
City Manager of Santa Monica

Chi has helped lead the development of innovative local government programs, creative economic growth initiatives, operational process improvements, team-building efforts, and strategic planning activities.

Featured Panel Speakers

Brian Hanlon
CEO of California YIMBY

Brian co-founded the California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund (CaRLA) in 2015, which sues cities that violate state housing law. Prior to co-founding CaRLA, Brian spent 10 years working for the US EPA and the US Forest Service.

Bob Hertzberg
Former Speaker of California Assembly

A Los Angeles native, has served as both Speaker of the California State Assembly and Majority Leader of the California State Senate, earning a reputation for tackling California’s most complex challenges and brokering critical negotiations.

Liam Dillon
Reporter for POLITICO

Liam Dillon is a reporter for POLITICO covering housing in California. He focuses on rebuilding in Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires in January 2025 and writes about broader issues surrounding affordability and homelessness across the state. Before joining POLITICO, Liam worked for nearly a decade at the Los Angeles Times.