A message from our friends at United Neighbors

9/29/25

Hi All,

It defies all logic why SB 79 would be treated as if it were a reasonable bill.  It is a bill that targets single-family and low density multi-family neighborhoods, plain and simple and has nothing to do with needed housing. 

Our Housing Element did a fine job of identifying plenty of building opportunities without our neighborhoods being rezoned. That should upset all of us.

Even the governor, if he signs the bill, has probably not fully understood the impact to LA, San Diego, San Francisco neighborhoods.  Otherwise he would have understood that there is plenty of zoning capacity to meet the needs of the State without impacting these neighborhoods.  Even candidates like Katie Porter who support this bill have no true understanding of its impacts. That should upset all of us.

This bill blows away all the good work of the Planning Department and instead favors the special interest groups that sponsor this bill, who want residential neighborhoods available for development.  The uncertainty this bill gives renters and homeowners is needless and painful to all that have neighborhoods that will be rezoned. And this will open up more neighborhoods for development in the next legislative session. That should upset all of us.

The LA City Council took so long to pass the resolution to oppose SB 79 that it left our city little time to lobby against it.  Marqueece Harris-Dawson delayed the vote on the resolution.  The resolution to oppose SB 79 was first sent to Council in April and not heard by Council until mid August- two weeks before the last legislative hearing on the bill in Sacramento. As a result, the Planning Department could only generate these newly released maps recently that give more people including our legislators some understanding of the bill’s impact.   And even these maps are not complete. That should upset all of us.

Wiener took great pride in saying that the LA City Council passed the resolution by a very narrow vote 5-8. Stating that at one time the LA City Council would have rejected it outright. That should upset all of us. (Bob Blumenfield, who was absent from the resolution vote, did however send a letter to the Governor asking for a veto on this bill.)

We need to keep in mind that some of the people we elect would rather “get along” with donors and sponsors of this bill (Abundant Housing, Streets for All) than solve the real problem of more affordable housing. That should upset all of us.

We have been interviewed by the Sacramento Bee, a newspaper that covers the state capital.  They had heard we were sending thousands of letters to the Governor.  We thank all of you that made this newsworthy.

Thank you all, we will let you know about the Governor’s decision as soon as we hear.  We know the packet for SB 79 with all our comments has been submitted to him.

Best always,

Maria, Cindy, Jeff, Marc