New controversial law mandates dense housing near transit, overriding local zoning to address California’s housing crisis
By Steve Puterski / Substack / October 11, 2025
In a sweeping move to reshape housing near transit, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 79 on Friday, October 10, triggering major zoning changes and fierce backlash from cities across the state.
The bill, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), expands Transit-Oriented Districts (TODs) to every transit station and bus stop. The bill requires cities and counties to upzone land with significant density requirements, such as a minimum of five to six stories (55 to 65 feet), a minimum density of 80 to 120 units per acre (depending on the tier), prevailing wages, strict labor requirements and more.
The bill will go into effect on July 1, 2026, and also makes every project “by right,” meaning local planning commissions and city councils have no authority to deny or stop a project unless they can prove significant
The bill also redefines “major” transit stop to include bus stops, even those in single-family neighborhoods. A previous version of the bill had three tiers, but the lowest was removed due to massive backlash from at least half the cities in the state and other critics.
Another provision is streamlining approvals through bypassing the authority of City Councils and Planning Commissions and “ensuring” affordability mainly by primarily developing near transit, according to the bill.
YIMBY’s (Yes in My Back Yard) celebrated on social media, with many saying SB 79 will put a massive dent into the state’s housing crisis, drive down rents, help with affordability and increase transit use. Supporters, such as Newsom, Wiener, and YIMBYs called it a milestone and claimed it will be one of the best pro-housing laws in the country.
Critics, though, say it will lead to more gentrification, put pressure on local infrastructure, won’t increase transit ridership and will destroy community character.
“SB 79 is a historic step toward tackling the root cause of California’s affordability crisis — our profound shortage of homes and too few people having access to transit,” Wiener said in a statement. “In California, we talk a lot about where we don’t want to build homes, but rarely about where we do — until now. SB 79 unwinds decades of overly restrictive land use policies that have driven housing costs to astronomical levels, forcing millions of people to move far away from jobs and transit, to face massive commutes, or to leave California entirely.
“By allowing more homes to be built near public transportation, SB 79 also strengthens our transit systems, increases transit ridership, and reduces traffic congestion and carbon emissions.”
Locally, the cities of Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Oceanside, San Marcos, mayors Dane White of Escondido and Lesa Heebner of Solana Beach and the San Diego Association of Governments opposed the bill. In support are Circulate San Diego, San Diego Bike Coalition, Ride San Diego, YIMBY Democrats of San Diego, and the city of San Diego, among others.
