Senator Scott Wiener – SB 79 – generated image
Key points:
- Los Angeles City Council opposes SB 79 housing bill.
- Bill would allow mid-rise apartments near transit stops.
- Los Angeles has lost over 100,000 residents due to affordability issues.
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council narrowly voted this week to oppose SB 79, a state housing bill authored by Sen. Scott Wiener that would allow mid-rise apartments near major transit stops while requiring affordable units.
The 8-7 decision has drawn sharp criticism from housing advocates, policy experts, and statewide pro-housing groups, who say the city is once again siding with wealthy elites and NIMBY interests over working-class Angelenos struggling with the nation’s worst housing affordability crisis.
Mayor Karen Bass confirmed she signed the council resolution opposing the measure unless it is amended to exempt cities with a state-approved and compliant housing element.
“Today I signed a City Council resolution opposing SB79 unless it is amended to exempt cities with a state-approved and compliant Housing Element,” Bass said. “While I support the intent to accelerate housing development statewide, as written, this bill risks unintended consequences for LA.”
Housing advocates argue that Bass and the council are doubling down on exclusionary zoning policies that prevent new housing near transit and worsen both the housing and climate crises.
Nolan Gray, research director for California YIMBY, said the decision highlights a failure of leadership.
“This is the opposite of leadership,” Gray said. “Los Angeles has one of the worst housing crises in the country. The median family can’t afford a home, most renters spend a huge share of their income on rent, and tens of thousands of people sleep without shelter each night.”
SB 79 is designed to expand affordable housing near transit hubs, where billions in taxpayer dollars have already been invested in rail and bus infrastructure. The bill would allow apartment buildings of up to 7–8 stories within a half-mile of major transit stops, but only if they meet objective local design standards, adhere to environmental protections, and set aside units for low-income families.
Supporters describe it as a commonsense, modest reform that would encourage “missing middle” housing rather than high-rise towers.
“This is not a radical bill,” Wiener said earlier this year. “It is about putting homes near transit so that we can address housing affordability, reduce pollution, and cut commutes.”
But the council’s opposition framed the bill as a state overreach that could override local planning processes and threaten neighborhood stability.
Councilmembers cited concerns about infrastructure, displacement, and local control, with one going so far as to suggest it would create “chaos.”
Housing advocates dismissed those claims as misleading and false.
“The Los Angeles city council and the mayor think that the stations on train lines that Californians spent billions to build should continue to be surrounded by $2,000,000 single-family homes instead of apartment buildings with homes set aside for working class Angelenos,” said Max Dubler, co-founder of Streets For All.
Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY, issued a blistering statement after the vote.
“Los Angeles leaders are once again demonstrating their cowardice and failing their own constituents who desperately need more housing — and they’re doing it at the behest of LA’s wealthiest, most entitled voters, who have consistently blocked progress on housing affordability,” Hanlon said. “The state legislature must act urgently.”
“Los Angeles has the highest rate of homelessness, the worst housing overcrowding, some of the highest housing costs and among the longest, most polluting commutes in the United States — and its city leaders have just demonstrated once again that they could not care less,” Hanlon added. “The state of California needs to intervene to protect Angelenos from their own local leaders, who could not care less about the worsening conditions in their city. This is exactly why we need the state to pass SB 79.”
Hanlon noted that much of the opposition rested on false claims.
“SB 79 is a commonsense bill. It applies only near major transit stops like the Metro, it requires affordability, it maintains environmental protections, and it guarantees local design standards. What it doesn’t do is what opponents claim: it doesn’t eliminate environmental review, it doesn’t apply to every bus stop, and it doesn’t bulldoze single-family neighborhoods. The council knows this, but chose fear over facts.”
Pro-housing advocates also pointed to the city’s failure to meet its own state-mandated housing goals. In 2021, Los Angeles adopted a housing element that committed to developing 456,643 units of housing over eight years. But production has fallen far short.
“In its housing element, LA committed to developing 456,643 units of housing in 8 years. 4 years in it was 387,000 units (85%) short, and production is still dismal in the 5th,” said Toby Muresianu, a housing organizer.
The lack of progress, critics argue, highlights why state intervention is necessary.
“Working Angelenos — nurses, firefighters, teachers, young families — are being forced out of the city because they can’t afford to live near their jobs,” Hanlon said. “SB 79 is about giving them a chance. The council’s vote sends a dangerous message: that protecting the status quo is more important than housing working families. California YIMBY will keep fighting to make sure facts, not fear, guide our housing policies.”
Los Angeles’ housing affordability crisis is among the worst in the nation. According to U.S. Census and housing market data, the city has lost more than 100,000 residents between 2000 and 2023, with affordability cited as a major factor in out-migration. The median home value of an owner-occupied unit in Los Angeles rose by more than 50 percent between 2017 and 2023. While inflation contributed, housing experts say the more significant factor is the severe shortage of new homes.
For renters, the crisis is even more acute. Between 2017 and 2023, the average gross rent in Los Angeles increased from $1,400 to over $2,000, according to data analyzed by housing researchers. That $600 increase over six years represents an additional $7,200 per year in costs for the average renter — a devastating burden for working families.
Displacement has become a daily reality for many residents, especially lower-income renters. Advocates argue that the city’s refusal to allow more housing near transit will only worsen these pressures by driving rents higher and pushing families farther away from jobs, schools, and services.
The council’s opposition to SB 79 also highlights a growing rift between local governments and the state legislature over housing authority.
Local officials argue that Sacramento is overstepping by imposing blanket zoning reforms. State policymakers counter that cities like Los Angeles have consistently failed to approve enough housing, fueling California’s affordability crisis and undermining climate goals.
“This is exactly why we need the state to act,” Gray said. “Los Angeles can’t keep telling the state to trust its process while continuing to fall hundreds of thousands of homes behind its commitments. At some point, the state has to step in to protect renters and working families.”
The fight over SB 79 is being closely watched not just in California but nationwide, as cities across the country struggle with affordability and consider state or federal interventions. Advocates say Los Angeles has become a case study in what happens when powerful local interests block reforms despite overwhelming evidence of need.
Hanlon warned that the council’s vote puts Los Angeles on a dangerous path. “Working families are being forced out of the city because leaders continue to choose fear over facts. This is not just about housing, it’s about equity, climate, and the future of Los Angeles,” he said.
With SB 79 now advancing in the state legislature, the clash between Los Angeles and Sacramento could intensify in the coming months. If passed, the bill would override local zoning in areas near transit and force the city to allow apartments where only expensive single-family homes are permitted today.
“Los Angeles has so much room for growth, yet its policymakers seem inclined to slowly bleed the city dry,” one housing analyst wrote in The YIMBY Manifesto. “The only thing the city has not tried is building more housing in sizable numbers. Spats with the state legislature do nothing to address the needs of the city’s residents.”
Whether Los Angeles changes course or the state steps in, the city’s housing policies are now a national cautionary tale — one that may determine the future of California’s affordability crisis.
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Categories:
Breaking News Housing State of California
Tags:
Brian Hanlon California YIMBY Housing Affordability Karen Bass Los Angeles housing Max Dubler Mayor Karen Bass Nolan Gray SB 79 Scott Wiener Sen. Scott Wiener Streets for All The YIMBY Manifesto Toby Muresianu