The Los Angeles City Council voted 8 to 5 to oppose Senate Bill 79 after a tense and sharply divided debate. SB 79 would allow buildings up to nine stories near certain train stops and somewhat smaller buildings near some bus stops across California. Councilmembers opposing the bill argued that a statewide mandate would be unsafe and would usurp local planning authority. Supporters of the bill said opponents offered no viable solutions to the housing shortage and that denser housing near transit would increase ridership, reduce traffic, and help meet climate goals. Councilmember Nithya Raman voted against opposing the bill and urged collaboration with the bill's drafters despite disagreements.
A one-size-fits-all mandate from Sacramento is not safe, and it's not responsible,
not planning but chaos.
Opponents of SB 79 are offering no real solutions to address our housing shortage at the scale needed to make housing more affordable,
Overall, we talk a lot about our housing crisis on this body, but our actions have not met the moment,
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