Staff Report
August 20, 2025
https://centurycity-westwoodnews.com/los-angeles-city-council-opposes-statewide-density-bill-sb-79-in-an-8-5-vote/
Council Rejects Housing Density Plan, Cites Local Control Concerns
The Los Angeles City Council voted 8–5 on Monday to oppose Senate Bill 79, a contentious housing density proposal from state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco that would limit cities’ authority over local development, according to a press release from CD 11 Councilwoman Traci Park’s office.
SB 79 is a bill currently in the California State Legislature, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco). According to a press release from Senator Wiener, SB 79 would allow more homes near transit by:
- Establishing state zoning standards around train stations and major bus stops (bus rapid transit stops) that allow for multi-family homes up to seven stories near immediately surrounding major transit stops, with lower height standards extending up to half a mile away from such stops.
- Allowing local transit agencies to develop at the same or greater density on land they own.
The bill was amended ahead of the Senate Appropriations committee to reconfigure the bill’s tiering system, to allow local jurisdictions more flexibility in where to put the increased density, to clarify that local affordability requirements still apply, and to add an affordability requirement where local affordability requirements do not exist. The bill was amended in the Senate Appropriations Committee to remove provisions of the bill related to the Surplus Lands Act and to remove SB 79’s applicability in light industrial zones.
The resolution, brought forward by Councilmembers Traci Park and John Lee, followed a morning press conference at City Hall where preservationists, neighborhood advocates, and community leaders criticized the measure as a threat to Los Angeles’ planning process, infrastructure, and historic neighborhoods.