The historic bill, which looks to add density to transit hubs across California, is one of the most ambitious state-imposed housing efforts in recent memory.
The biggest impact will probably be felt in Los Angeles, which has an estimated 150 transit stops covered by the bill, according to the city’s preliminary assessment.
Before Newsom signed it into law, Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky called it unfair.
“Beverly Hills gets off the hook, and Los Angeles is left holding the bag,” she said in a statement.
Los Angeles planning officials recently published a draft map showing the places that they believe would be upzoned under SB 79.
Eight years ago while running for office, Gov. Earlier this year, Gavin Newsom made the well-known pledge to help build 32.5 million new homes in California. Though his most recent action reaffirms the effort, he will likely fall short by millions.
On Friday, Senate Bill 79 was signed into law by Newsom. One of the most comprehensive state-mandated housing initiatives in recent history is the historic bill, which aims to increase density in transit hubs throughout California.
“Every Californian should have access to reasonably priced housing that is near opportunities, schools, and employment.”. Shorter commutes, cheaper expenses, and more family time are all benefits of living close to public transportation. We’re investing in people when we invest in housing—their opportunity to start a family, build a future, and integrate into the community,” Newsom said in a statement.
With effect from July 1, 2026, the comprehensive bill upzones regions throughout California, superseding local zoning regulations to permit taller, denser projects close to transit hubs like light rail, bus, and subway stops with designated lanes.
Up to nine-story residential buildings may be constructed by developers next to subway stops, seven stories to the quarter-mile and six stories to the half-mile radius. Depending on how close a piece of property is to a specific station or bus stop, the bill will also permit residential buildings up to five to eight stories close to light rail and dedicated bus lanes.
This year, Newsom has approved two significant housing reforms. He approved a historic bill in June that simplifies housing development and removes the California Environmental Quality Act’s (CEQA) onerous regulations.
Days of discussion and weeks of cries from citizens, advocacy organizations, and cities urging him to sign or veto the bill came to a head with Newsom’s decision.
It is a major victory for developers and YIMBY organizations, who argue that building housing, particularly close to transit stops, is the most efficient way to alleviate California’s housing crisis. This will reduce vehicle pollution and promote public transportation.
In a statement, California YIMBY Chief Executive Brian Hanlon said, “Griffith Newsom solidifies his reputation as one of the most influential pro-housing leaders in California history by signing SB 79.”. We now start the process of ensuring that all of its provisions are applied completely and equitably. “.”.
It is a setback for some cities, such as Los Angeles, which argue that the bill applies a universal solution to an issue that should be handled locally. The L was asked to veto the bill by Mayor Karen Bass. A. The City Council rejected it in a motion.
As cities, developers, and citizens attempt to determine who is impacted by the bill and who is exempt, the frantic scurrying has begun.
Sen. In January, San Francisco Democrat Scott Wiener introduced the bill, highlighting the urgency of addressing the housing crisis. To get enough votes to pass the Assembly and Senate, however, a number of amendments, exemptions, and carve-outs were added as the bill made its way through the legislative branch.
All that remained was a lengthy and occasionally perplexing bill. It’s “incredibly challenging to visualize,” according to Wiener’s spokesperson Erik Mebust. “.”.
Initially, the bill’s purview was reduced from California as a whole to just eight counties—Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sacramento—that had at least 15 passenger rail stations.
Los Angeles, whose preliminary assessment indicates that the bill will affect an estimated 150 transit stops, is likely to experience the greatest impact.
Legislators then included a number of deferral options, which let cities delay implementation in specific areas until around 2030, a year after they are required to submit their most recent plan for promoting the construction of new homes and accommodating growth.
The bill aims to lessen the impact of gentrification on low-income neighborhoods by allowing cities to exempt properties in low-resource, historic preservation, and high-risk fire areas for the next five years.
Furthermore, SB 79 zones were reduced to a quarter-mile in cities with fewer than 35,000 residents, while remaining half-mile everywhere else, in an effort to win over lawmakers from smaller cities.
The “Beverly Hills carve-out” amendment reduces the upzoning authority for a few wealthy, small cities in Southern California, such as South Pasadena and Beverly Hills. The eligibility map consequently becomes strange.
For instance, the law will only apply to the quarter-mile radius around the Metro A Line station in South Pasadena, but it will have an impact on the half-mile radius around Pasadena and L, two nearby communities. 1. in the neighborhood of Highland Park. Within L. a. The law only applies to properties within a quarter-mile of the Metro D Line subway in Beverly Hills, which is directly adjacent to Beverly Grove.
Katy Yaroslavsky of the Los Angeles City Council criticized it as unfair before Newsom signed it into law.
In a statement, she said, “Los Angeles is left holding the bag, and Beverly Hills gets off the hook.”.
A lot of other strange things. For instance, if a property is half a mile from a transit station as far as the eye can tell but has physical obstacles like freeways and railroad tracks that make it more than a mile away on foot, the city may be able to exempt it.
Not a single parcel-specific overview has been created, despite numerous online maps attempting to illustrate which areas would be upzoned under SB 79. Recently, a draft map of the areas that Los Angeles planning officials believe would be upzoned under SB 79 was released. The Southern California Association will eventually publish a legally binding eligibility map, they warned, adding that the online tool is only for “exploratory purposes.”. of governmental bodies.
Until that map is released, cities, developers, and homeowners will need to wait for clarification. Meanwhile, YIMBY organizations hope the bill will encourage the growth of multifamily housing in L. 1. which, as a result of uncertain regulations and unprofitable economics, has declined recently.
California YIMBY, one of the bill’s sponsors, spokesperson Matt Lewis stated, “A lot of people don’t want California to change, but California is changing whether they want it to or not.”. “The question is whether we permit those changes to be economical and sustainable or if they become chaotic and expensive. “.”.
