If SB 79 becomes a law, apartment buildings could be built on single family lots.
Senate Bill 79 Is a Trojan Horse for Overdevelopment
By NICO RUDERMAN
(Editor’s note: Nico Ruderman is a board member of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils and the Venice Neighborhood Council. He was one of the two lead organizers of the successful recall effort to oust former L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin. A longtime resident of Venice and father to a 10-year-old son, he is running for State Senate in District 24 to replace Ben Allen, who is termed out.)
There’s a Senate Bill (SB) moving through Sacramento that would have a drastic impact on communities across California — and everyone in the Palisades needs to pay attention. While it would affect most residential neighborhoods in the state, its most immediate and devastating consequences could be felt in post-disaster recovery zones like Pacific Palisades and Altadena, where land rendered vacant by recent wildfires is now vulnerable to opportunistic overdevelopment.
The bill is called SB 79 and would strip away local control over zoning and land use, and give developers the green light to build 65-foot buildings — six stories — within a half-mile of any major bus or rail stop, even in quiet, low-density, single-family neighborhoods. If developers take advantage of other existing incentives, those buildings could potentially reach 10 or even 15 stories. These oversized buildings would tower over homes with direct views into private backyards, bedrooms, and family spaces. No local review. No parking requirements. No infrastructure review. No compatibility standards. No say from the people who actually live there.
In places like Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, where there are only three routes in and out, this is not a quality-of-life issue, it would be a safety crisis. Traffic is already a daily headache. But during the last wildfire, evacuation routes were choked even with the existing population. Add large-scale developments and thousands more residents with no road expansion? It’s not just a bad idea, it would be another disaster waiting to happen.
Look to Altadena, where the writing’s already on the wall. A recent Los Angeles Times article titled “Unfortunately, Altadena is for sale” revealed that more than 145 fire damaged lots have already been sold, with dozens more in escrow. Developers are moving fast, often through anonymous LLCs, before residents have a chance to rebuild.
And for what? SB 79 includes no affordability mandates. It doesn’t require a single unit to be affordable to the people who need it most—families, essential workers, or displaced fire survivors. It’s not about rebuilding or livability. It’s about enabling developers to build whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want.
SB 79 barely passed the State Senate on June 3, after hours of contentious debate. It received only 19 “yes” votes on the first count. But the bill’s author, Senator Scott Wiener (San Francisco), kept the roll open and lobbied for two more votes, eventually squeaking it through by literally one vote. It was a strange tally: some Republicans supported it, while a significant number of Democrats voted no or abstained. Senator Ben Allen was among the six who did not cast a vote. Now the bill heads to the State Assembly, where it must be stopped before it becomes law.
Wiener is promoting SB 79 as a fix for the so-called “housing and homelessness crisis,” but that framing is false. Housing affordability and homelessness are separate issues, and this bill doesn’t solve either. In fact, SB 79 could make the affordability crisis even worse, by driving up land values and encouraging luxury development in high-opportunity areas, while doing nothing to help those actually struggling to find housing.
If this bill passes, it would be devastating for communities across Senate District 24, from Rancho Palos Verdes and the South Bay, through Santa Monica, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood, and into the Conejo Valley, including Agoura Hills, Calbasas, and Westlake Village. The damage wouldn’t be limited to one neighborhood. It would spread statewide.
The Bill has now been sent to the Assembly and has had its first reading. Stop this now. Call your Assemblymember, Jacqui Irwin. Contact Governor Gavin Newsom. You can also reach out to every other State Assemblymember and tell them how the Palisades feels about this.
I’m running for State Senate because Sacramento has lost touch with the communities it claims to represent. If I had been your state senator this year, I would have voted a firm and unequivocal no on SB 79—and I would have worked with my colleagues to explain just how destructive this bill would be, especially for vulnerable areas still recovering from fire and trauma. Legislating without understanding the terrain puts neighborhoods and lives at risk.
SB 79 is not a housing solution. It’s a gift to developers—and a threat to the safety, character, livability, and autonomy of neighborhoods across California. Let’s stop it before it becomes law.
It must be stopped, it’s the smart city plan and a huge conspiracy to ruin our beautiful neighborhoods which they have already accomplished. This must NOT pass legislation
I think it is misleading to say that there would be multistory built in the Palisades because of this bill. My understanding is it’s designed to encourage development around qualifying transit stops, which include train stations and bus rapid transit. I think Palisades is served by line 9, which is not rapid transit. I think this article would be more accurate if it mapped out specific areas which are likely to be impacted.
DO NOT PASS SB79!!! It will ruin our neighborhoods and does not provide
Any affordable housing.
PLEASE DO NOT PASS SB 79
Scare tactics by the NIMBYS. There are no major transit stops on PCH or Sunset. Closest is Wilshire in Santa Monica.
It’s like this was the Master Plan all along. Burn down vast areas of Los Angeles, the politicians enact “build anything anywhere” before homeowners even have a chance to rebuild. Can you even imagine the Palisades looking like the huge apartment complex of Singapore ‘s skyline or that of Shenzhen’s? Next to your home up goes a four story apartment complex right after your rebuild. So, if this passes the Assembly, is it 1984, the government totally runs our lives? Do we have any control?
It’s amazing to me that in the second sentence you read, the Bonin recall is described as “successful.” Uh, what alternative history book is Circling the News promoting? Simple Google searches prove otherwise (ex: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-18/recall-drive-targeting-councilman-mike-bonin-falls-short).
Lisa,
The recall had the effect of Bonin not running again and for many that was a huge success. Bonin was nothing like the man he followed, Bill Rosendahl. Rosendahl was amazing and cared about his constituents, unlike his successor.
Sue
Stephen,
Moving to Florida has put you out of touch of Los Angeles and California. Senator Scott Weiner writes “California faces a housing shortage both acute and chronic, particularly in areas with access to robust public transit infrastructure. Restrictive
zoning in existing communities forces development into sprawl – increasing traffic and pollution, and accelerating the loss of open space and farmland. Building more homes near transit reduces transportation and housing costs for
California families, promotes environmental sustainability and economic growth, and reduces traffic congestion.”
Unfortunately, the transit system in Los Angeles, is nothing like New York (an Island) fed by buses/trains from New Jersey and Connecticut.
Weiner assumes that everyone living in an apartment near a subway, we’ll use it to go to work – not likely. Subways don’t service the City–or half of us would be using them instead of stuck in traffic.
Housing is plentiful–as many of us found out when we had to find new places to live after the fire. There are places for rent all over the Westside, including Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Playa and even Venice. One could argue affordability, but certainly not availability.
PCH and Sunset are considered major arteries. in a letter from the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) opposes SB 79 (Wiener), which further erodes local control over
land use and zoning decisions, requires streamlined approval of very high multifamily buildings near certain bus stops and rail lines in single-family neighborhoods even when municipalities such as Los Angeles already have a
state-approved and compliant Housing Element, and compromises public safety by failing to include an unconditional
exemption for the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. PPCC further supports the resolution in City Council by Councilmember John S. Lee, second by Councilwoman
Traci Park (CF 25-0002-S19), for the City Council to add to its State Legislative Program for 2025-26 opposition to
SB 79 unless amended to exempt municipalities with a state-approved and compliant Housing Element.”
In the interest of public safety for all fire-prone areas of the state, we urge the members of the CA Senate Housing
Committee to vote NO on the bill when it is considered in committee on April 22.
Basically the bus stop across from where your building was on Sunset could be considered a major transit stop and an apartment building could be built.
Senator Allen, although urged to vote no by many of his constituents was absent during the vote. If the vote goes to the Assembly, Palisades residents can see how Irwin votes.
Sue
Read the fine print of the bill, it could include bus stops.
(p) “Transit-oriented development stop” means a major transit stop, as defined by Section 21155 of the Public Resources Code, [excluding any stop served by rail transit with a frequency of fewer than 10 total trains per weekday.] served by heavy rail transit, very high frequency commuter rail, high frequency commuter rail, light rail transit, bus service meeting the standards of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 21060.2 of the Public Resources Code, frequent commuter rail service, or ferry service, or otherwise so designated by the applicable authority [emphasis added].
Sue
Bill, it’s all fun and games until the builders/contractors assault the planning or zoning departments asking for variances. Don’t think it wont happen. LA is corrupt. Where did the billions go for homeless housing?
Lisa, I very specifically said the “recall effort” was successful. Which it absolutely was. Happy to go into all of the details if you’d like. But that has nothing to do with this piece.
“I think Palisades is served by line 9, which is not rapid transit. ”
Hopefully you understand that the definition of “rapid transit” can and will be manipulated to include what the politicians and builders want it to mean.
Is this all true?
The bill is called SB 79 and would strip away local control over zoning and land use, and give developers the green light to build 65-foot buildings — six stories — within a half-mile of any major bus or rail stop, even in quiet, low-density, single-family neighborhoods. If developers take advantage of other existing incentives, those buildings could potentially reach 10 or even 15 stories. These oversized buildings would tower over homes with direct views into private backyards, bedrooms, and family spaces. No local review. No parking requirements. No infrastructure review. No compatibility standards. No say from the people who actually live there.