California YIMBY Statement on LA City Council Vote on SB 79
LA City Council Votes Against Angelenos
Council Opposition to SB 79 Continues Years of Anti-Housing Policies
LA’s leaders are demonstrating their cowardice — the state legislature needs to act
Los Angeles, CA — Today the Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose SB 79, a state bill designed to expand affordable housing near major transit stops.
Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY, issued the following statement:
“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 said.
“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.”
“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.”
SB 79 would allow property owners within a half-mile of major transit to build new apartments if their projects meet objective standards. The bill requires affordable units set aside for lower-income families, enforces existing building and safety codes, and limits building heights to 7–8 stories.
“Working Angelenos — nurses, firefighters, teachers, young families — are being forced out of the city because they can’t afford to live near their jobs. 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,” Hanlon said.