STOP SB 79! — WATCH, LEARN, & SHARE...
SB 79 is the most damaging housing bill yet. Please watch these United Neighbors videos to learn how State Bill 79 (Wiener) will affect your neighborhood. Although a few minor changes have been made to the bill since these videos were posted, such as the addition of some inclusionary housing, the content is relevant and we hope you take time to watch and share this important information with everyone you know in California. SB 79 must be STOPPED.
California Senate Bill 79 is worse than the Bonus ADU program, SB 10, Complete Communities, and any other program that has been proposed locally.
UPDATE July 11, 2025 — The State Assembly's Local Government Committee will be considering SB 79 on Wednesday, July 16, ay 1:30 PM. In addition to our previously submitted position paper, Neighbors For A Better San Diego has performed an analysis of how SB 79's scattershot one-half mile as the crow flies distance to transit will extend into single-family neighborhoods in every Assemblymember's district. You can view the examples HERE.
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Following Assemblymember Ward's statements to Housing and Community Development on July 2, it has been uncovered that the supposed support letter from the City of San Diego was drafted and signed by the City's state lobbyist, rather than an official representative of the City of San Diego (i.e., Mayor Todd Gloria). READ the OB Rag for full details.
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That the Mayor is trying to have it both ways is evidenced by the fact that San Diego is not officially listed as a supporter of the bill on the California Legislative Information site. (Click HERE to view the legislative analysis. Supporters and Opponents are listed at the end of the document.)
Further, SANDAG (the San Diego Association of Governments) is listed as an opponent to SB 79, which emphasizes that this supposed transit-oriented development bill is just a ruse to expose California's neighborhoods to massively out-of-scale apartment blocks.
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UPDATE July 2, 2025 — The State Assembly's Housing and Community Development Committee moved SB 79 forward on an 8-1 vote. The hearing was highlighted by the surprise participation of San Diego Assembly Member Chris Ward, whose testimony included the misrepresentation that the City of San Diego supports the bill. (San Diego has taken no position on the bill. At the county level, three cities – Del Mar, Encinitas, and Oceanside – submitted formal letters in opposition, and no city has supported it.)
San Diego, like many California cities, has zoned for high-density housing on transit corridors, making SB 79 at best redundant but more likely in conflict with San Diego’s transit-oriented development incentives. These conflicts will likely result in years of litigation and uncertainty for both homeowners and developers.
The failure to use accepted walking distance standards to transit and the reliance on future transit stops that won’t exist until decades in the future, if ever, makes it clear that the real intention of SB 79 is to open up unsuspecting neighborhoods to predatory land speculation.
Because it isn’t restricted to existing high-quality transit, most residents will probably think that SB 79 doesn’t apply to their neighborhood. To evaluate the impact of SB 79, we suspect that San Diego will use the Transit Priority Area (TPA) map, or something very close to it, to implement SB 79 if it is passed. To determine whether SB 79 will affect you, CLICK HERE and navigate to the Transit Priority Area layer. The TPA will appear in pink on the map. Type in your address and click Enter. If your address appears in the pink area, you are in the TPA and will be impacted by SB 79.
We suggest you find your Assembly Member and State Senator below and send them a screenshot to let them know just how far SB 79 extends beyond transit corridors.
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UPDATE June 24, 2025 — After passing the State Senate by a single vote (Locally, Senators Blakespear and Jones voted against it, while Padilla and Weber Pierson voted for it.), SB 79 now goes to the Assembly, starting with the Housing and Community Development Committee on July 2.
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​Even though none of the members of the Committee are from San Diego County (an outrage by itself), it is not too early to let your Assembly Member know your opinion on SB 79.
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CA State Assembly members who represent residents in San Diego County are:
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District 76 Dr. Darshana R. Patel
District 79 Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins
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If you're unsure who your California Assembly representative is, CLICK HERE.
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To read our updated position paper, CLICK HERE.
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May 30, 2025 — While Neighbors For A Better San Diego has been focusing on San Diego's revisions to the Bonus ADU program, a bill is moving through the California State Senate — Senate Bill 79 (SB 79) — that could radically change for the worse single-family neighborhoods across the state, including right here in San Diego.
SB 79 would allow housing developments up to 6 stories tall (65 feet or more) in single-family zoned neighborhoods within a half-mile of bus rapid transit (BRT) or trolley lines — all under the pretense of climate action and transit accessibility. This could include transit stops that are planned but may never be built.
It's important to let your State Senator know that you oppose SB 79!
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The Senators who represent residents in San Diego County are:
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District 38 Catherine Blakespear
District 39 Akilah Weber Pierson
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(The Senator contact portal is set up to accept comments only from the voters they represent. If you're unsure who your Senator is, you can look it up HERE.)
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Neighbors For A Better San Diego strongly opposes SB 79. Our objections are detailed in our white paper.
While some of our objections arise from the specific conditions of San Diego, others apply to all California cities:
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SB 79 bypasses local zoning, putting homeownership and the future of California's single-family neighborhoods at risk.
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It's not needed - We’re already ahead of our housing goals. Cities like San Diego are building plenty of market-rate housing. This bill targets a problem that doesn’t exist.
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It hurts affordability. Older, lower-cost homes get torn down to make room for luxury high-rises, pushing out low-income families. Additionally, upzoning increases underlying land value due to increased income potential for investors.
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It overrides local planning. SB 79 ignores the work that cities have done to identify the right areas for growth.
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It disrupts neighborhoods. The bill allows large developments in single-family areas, overriding local zoning laws and dropping density bombs haphazardly deep into single-family zoned neighborhoods.
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Does not specify "walking distance" vs "crow flies" from transit. Allows up to 6-story buildings in single-family zoned neighborhoods within a half-mile of any planned bus rapid transit (BRT) or trolley line. It doesn’t clearly say how the “half-mile from transit” rule should be measured — by walking or as the crow flies.
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Creates uncertainty in planning. Allows cities to rely on future transit that may never be built. Transit that doesn’t yet exist should not be used to justify dense development now.
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It spreads out development inefficiently. Randomly scattering massive SB 79 projects won’t create thriving, walkable communities.
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This is important.
Please contact your California State Senator today to voice your opposition to SB 79!