SB 79

Status: On the Governor's Desk

Transit-Oriented Development & Upzoning

SB 79 will make it faster and easier to build multi-family housing near transit stops, like train and rapid bus lines, by making it legal for more homes to be built in these areas.

Across California, cities continue to ban most new housing near publicly-funded transit stops. These housing bans contribute to high housing costs, make traffic and pollution worse, and make it difficult or impossible for most Californians to use the transit systems they paid for.

SB 79 will make it legal to build more multi-family housing near rail stations and rapid bus lines, including in areas where such homes are currently illegal, based on the distance of the housing from a transit stop, the transit type, and the service frequency. The bill will help lower housing costs by increasing the supply of homes in transit-adjacent areas, while also bolstering transit use and improving the funding stability of public transportation systems.

Tailored to California’s highest quality transit areas: SB 79 creates two development tiers, based on transit type and frequency, and applies to any qualifying site zoned for residential, mixed-use, or commercial properties within a half-mile of qualifying transit, or a quarter-mile for very small cities.

Equity & Affordability: All projects will include a minimum affordability standard, and there are incentives for even deeper affordability through density bonuses based on affordability level. SB 79 projects also cannot require the demolition of rent stabilized homes of 3 units or above or multifamily housing that has had tenants in the last 7 years, on top of existing displacement-protection law.

Labor: Housing over 85 feet in height, or homes built on land owned by public transit agencies, will be required to meet SB 423 labor standards (skilled and trained workers or prevailing wage).

Local flexibility: Local governments have the option to tailor SB 79’s local effects through a TOD alternative plan, as long as they still meet minimum overall density increases. That density can be phased in over the next 2-3 years, with additional deferral options for lower-resource areas to allow for additional community planning.

Fire safety: SB 79 includes “fire flexibility” safeguards to ensure communities can enact robust protections for fire safety. In jurisdictions where SB 79’s provisions overlap with very high fire severity zones, local leaders will have a minimum of 3 years to adopt plans that ensure maximum community protection from wildfire. The fire flexibility provisions also give local governments the option to shift density away from the high fire risk areas, giving communities the ability to accommodate housing growth while adequately addressing and mitigating fire hazards.

Updates

SB 79 was introduced on 1/15/25. It passed out of the Senate Housing Committee on 4/22/25. It passed the Senate Local Government Committee on 4/30/25. It passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on 5/23/25. SB 79 passed the Senate floor on 6/3/25 by a vote of 21-13. It passed the Assembly Housing Committee on 7/2/25 and the Assembly Local Government Committee on 7/16/25. It passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 8/29/25. It passed the Assembly floor on 9/11/25 and passed the Senate in a concurrence vote on 9/12/25. It now goes to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

Authors

Scott Wiener (SD 11)

Resources

Action Alert

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