A controversial housing bill that would override local zoning laws to expand high-density housing near public transit hubs was passed by the California Assembly on Thursday with a vote of 41 to 17.
Senate Bill 79, one of the more ambitious state-imposed housing density efforts in recent years, is now a final Senate concurrence vote and a Gov. Gavin Newsom signature away from taking effect.
The bill was introduced in March by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who stresses that the state needs to take immediate action to address California’s housing shortage. It paves the way for taller, denser housing near transit corridors such as bus stops and train stations: up to nine stories for buildings adjacent to certain transit stops, seven stories for buildings within a quarter-mile, and six stories for buildings within a half-mile.
Single-family neighborhoods within a half-mile of transit stops would be subject to the new zoning rules.
Lawmakers debated the bill for around 40 minutes on Thursday evening, and drew cheers after it was passed.
Supporters say drastic measures are necessary given the state’s affordability crisis. Critics claim the blanket mandate is an overreach, stripping local authorities of their ability to promote responsible growth.
The vote came a few weeks after the Los Angeles City Council came out against the bill, voting 8 to 5 on a resolution opposing it.
Councilmember Traci Park, who co-authored the resolution with Councilmember John Lee, called SB 79 a “one-size-fits-all mandate from Sacramento.” Lee called it “chaos.”
The resolution called for L.A. to be exempt from the upzoning since it already has a state-approved housing plan.
The bill has spurred multiple protests in Southern California communities, including Pacific Palisades and San Diego. Residents fear the zoning changes would alter single-family communities and force residents into competition with developers, who would be incentivized under the new rules to purchase properties near transit corridors.
However, support for SB 79 surged in recent days after the State Building and Construction Trades Council, a powerful labor group that represents union construction workers, agreed to reverse their opposition in exchange for amendments that add union hiring to certain projects.
In a statement after the deal was struck, the trades council president Chris Hannan said the amendments would provide good jobs and training to California’s skilled construction workforce.
Wiener, who has unsuccessfully tried to pass similar legislation twice before, said the deal boosted the bill’s chances.
“The bill is not guaranteed to pass, but we have more momentum today than we did yesterday,” Wiener said.
The next stop is the state Senate, where the bill already squeaked through by a narrow margin earlier this year. If it survives a vote for final concurrence there, it would go to Gov. Newsom’s desk in October.
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