Gino Canori and Ann Silverberg

Gino Canori and Ann Silverberg took the reins of one of California’s biggest housing developers on the first day of 2026.

Related California co-founder Bill Witte moved to the chairman emeritus role after more than 35 years leading the company, with Canori now overseeing the firm’s market-rate and mixed-income business, while Silverberg runs Related’s affordable housing platform across California and the Pacific Northwest.

Canori and Silverberg inherited plenty to work with. Related California has developed more than $11.7 billion of real estate and has more than 21,000 residential units completed or under construction, and thousands more in the pipeline. 

“We’re in a time of significant transition across the California affordable housing space,” Silverberg said.

Canori, a 24-year Related veteran, oversees a $10 billion development pool with more than 7,000 multifamily units and 5 million square feet of commercial space. In Santa Ana, Related is working on a $3 billion transformation of a former shopping center near South Coast Plaza into a 41-acre district with thousands of residences, a hotel, senior housing and as much as 350,000 square feet of commercial space.

Canori told Commercial Observer he remains bullish on the region despite stubborn land, financing and construction costs. 

“Southern California remains one of the most compelling long-term markets in the country,” he said, pointing to limited supply and persistent demand for housing and mixed-use environments. Still, he said making projects work today “takes more discipline than ever,” with virtually every underwriting assumption requiring additional scrutiny. 

Silverberg has more than 25 years in affordable housing and now oversees a portfolio valued at more than $8.5 billion, and her pipeline is accelerating. Related California Affordable expects five projects to start this year, including the second of a three-phase, 273-unit affordable development on state-owned land in Downtown Los Angeles. The company had already closed four such projects statewide in 2026, with three more closings underway.

Together, Canori and Silverberg now sit on separate but increasingly connected arms of perhaps the most defining issue in California housing. Canori said the transition has meant “building on a foundation I know well, while bringing a fresh perspective to the opportunities ahead.”